Outlander Book Club: The Fiery Cross Chapter 24 breakdown

Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter

As I mentioned in the intro, I don’t see that much in the way of foreshadowing in this chapter. I think the biggest is how Jamie continues to be a leader of men. He will always put them first, and he will always find a way to gain their trust and loyalty. Roger notices that, even in this moment, he notices how Jamie is a laird.

However, we continue to see how it’s not as easy as it was in Scotland. Jamie doesn’t command the same type of loyalty at Fraser’s Ridge. That does tend to foreshadow some of the things to come.

Adapting The Fiery Cross chapter

While the moments with the fiery cross were used in the series, the chapter itself wasn’t used. Something that’s worth remembering is that the lighting of the cross takes place about a quarter of the way into the novel. In the series, it took place right at the beginning of Season 5.

Roger had time to develop his view of Jamie. He had a chance to think about the time period and what’s to come. We had chapters from his point of view, giving us time to understand his thoughts and experiences.

None of that happened up to the first episode of the season. We’d just had Roger come back to Brianna at the very end of Season 4. The first episode was their wedding night, so the idea of Roger choosing to become a warrior at the lighting of the cross would have been far-fetched. Instead, we needed to see him hesitate a little while he figured out his place.

I appreciated that with the series. Having Roger suddenly jump into the idea of becoming a warrior would have been a little too much considering everything he’d faced.

What did you spot while reading The Fiery Cross Chapter 24? Let us know in the comments below.

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