Outlander Book Club: Voyager Chapter 48 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire thinking about the losses on the ship. More have died of the infection. One of those was Elias Pound, who succumbed quickly to the fever and called Claire “Mother” before dying.
I did find there wasn’t much emotion when it came to Elias’s death in this chapter. I’ll admit that I preferred the TV show for this moment, and I’ll get to that in the adaptation section.
However, Claire is feeling the weight of the losses. Sure, the source of the infection has finally been found. It’s someone who was moved to the galley when the deaths started, but the infections started around him in the first place. This sailor even admits that he has seen people die on other ships that he’s been on. This man is asymptomatic but can spread the disease.
The cook doesn’t want to lose his help, but it’s tough. Captain Leonard gets the man out of the galley to help reduce the spread of the disease. This is a light at the end of the tunnel, but it doesn’t negate all the losses.
As a doctor, Claire feels them heavily. It’s a burden on her, and she isn’t ashamed to hurt herself physically because of the emotional pain she feels.
That’s when she meets Lord John Grey. He’s come out of his cabin, where he’s been told to remain. He is going stir crazy in his cabin, though, and needed some air. That’s when he tries to offer a little bit of solace and help to Claire, but she isn’t in the mood to take it.
At first, Lord John Grey thinks that Claire only feels for her patients on a womanly level. He soon realizes that there’s more to this. He likens it to how he’s felt when soldiers under his command have died. He offers some wise words about how people aren’t God, but is then told to return to his cabin.
I do feel for Lord John in this chapter. Claire argues with him and is extremely rude when all he’s trying to do is help. Sure, Claire is in pain from the loss, but that doesn’t mean Lord John should be the brunt of her anger. He remains calm, though. I’d love to see the chapter from his POV to see what he thought of her comments toward him.
In the end, Claire retires to her own cabin. Tomorrow is another day.