Outlander Book Club: Drums of Autumn Chapter 54 breakdown

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

There isn’t much in the way of foreshadowing in this chapter. It’s more about developing the plot for Roger’s time with the Mohawks. It’s important for his development, setting up decisions that he is eventually going to make.

Naturally, the infected foot will come back up, but it’s not really foreshadowing. The only thing I can think of is that we eventually get this fix for Roger’s foot but that doesn’t mean all infections can be stopped.

Adapting the Drums of Autumn chapter

The chapter was used for Outlander Season 4, but not exactly in the same way. Roger did run the gauntlet but he wasn’t stripped naked. That would have likely been to respect Richard Rankin more than anything else. Not all actors want to strip naked for roles, especially when that’s not completely necessary.

We do get to see Roger spend some time with the Mohawks, but he tries to escape and he’s taken to what he eventually called the “idiot hut.” That’s where he has the conversation with Alexandre.

This is where some of the bigger changes happen. Roger starts to regret his decision to stay in the past. He temporarily regrets his love for Brianna, thinking that he should start to look out for himself. I really liked this part of the episode because it showed Roger as a flawed man. It showed him at his weakness, and I think many of us would have these thoughts.

He wants to be selfish. Don’t we all want that at moments when we’re at our lowest?

Of course, eventually, Roger managed to escape but he turned back to help Father Alexandre showing that he could never act selfishly. It’s not in him to do that.

What did you spot while reading Drums of Autumn Chapter 54? Let us know in the comments below.

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