Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 53 breakdown
Just the Outlander chapter
It all starts with Claire, Jamie, and Young Ian on the road. We get the chapter from Claire’s point of view, and she thinks that Jamie blames her for not saying something sooner about the ring and Bonnet. While she kept a promise to Brianna, she also kept the name from Jamie for selfish reasons. She wanted to keep Frank’s ring close to her for a little longer.
There are a lot of people who don’t think Claire should wear Frank’s wedding ring anymore. Why would she want to when she’s with Jamie? Isn’t it taunting Jamie with that relationship with Frank?
Maybe, but at the same time, this was her longest relationship at this point. Claire had married Frank long before going through the stones and he was her first love. She shared a long life with him before his death. They didn’t divorce and she does still love Frank, even if she isn’t in love with him. He was an important part of her life and we sense that with this chapter.
Back to the chapter, Claire thinks back to leaving Brianna behind. Jamie and Bree didn’t say anything to each other, but Brianna tells Claire that she’s the only one who can “bring him back.” Initially, Claire thinks she means Roger, but it’s at the end of the chapter that she realizes maybe Brianna means Jamie.
When they get to the Tuscarora village, the people say that they sold Roger to the Mohawks. That means another journey north. There is a villager who will take them north to the Mohawk land, but it is going to take time.
Before they leave, Pollyanne returns. She was the slave who John Quincy Myers had taken to the Tuscarora people to see if they would adopt her. They did, and now she is married to a Native American man and they have a baby together.
Claire asks who she can give Nayawenne’s amulet to, but Pollyanne explains that the people won’t want it. The amulet should have been buried with Nayawenne or the spirit is attached to it. Because Nayawenne’s body can’t be found to be buried, her spirit walks with Claire.
That doesn’t bother Pollyanne. She finds comfort in spirits walking with her due to her own ancestry. Claire also finds comfort in Nayawenne walking with her.
I love that we see these two different types of cultures. Really, three. As a Westerner, Claire is learning more about both African and Native American culture. Pollyanne has had to learn about Native American culture marrying into that, but she will never completely forget her own heritage. It shows how cultures can come together if people are willing to learn.
We also get a very important moment for Claire and Jamie. Young Ian asks Claire if she’ll forgive Jamie. He’s eaten up about it being Bonnet who raped Claire. And here Claire thought that Jamie was angry at her for keeping Bonnet a secret.
In the end, Claire decides to go to Jamie’s bed. She finds out that it’s not Bonnet that he feels guilty for. He’s mad because he’s jealous of a dead man. Claire and Jamie have a heart to heart about Brianna’s words and the fact that she didn’t mean them. They were said in anger to hurt Jamie just like Jamie said words to Brianna to hurt her.
The next morning, the group head north. They get to the village, but the Tuscarora guide won’t go into it. It’s up to the three of them now to get Roger back.