Claire finds out about Bobby Higgins’s ailment in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 9
After receiving the letter from Lord John Grey, Claire learns more about Bobby Higgins in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 9. More importantly, she figures out what Bobby’s ailment is.
John is rather secretive about Bobby’s ailment, which is surprising. It’s only until something happens while Bobby is around Claire that she finds out about it all. It’s certainly not the piles that she originally learns about.
We get to see Claire’s thoughts about John in this chapter. She immediately jumps to a conclusion about the man, and I do think it reminds us of the time period she came from. She does feel guilty when she realizes the truth about matters, though.
This chapter hasn’t been used in the series just yet. I’m not completely sure it will be, and I’m going to get to my thoughts on it in the adaptation section.
It does foreshadow things, though. The Browns turn up, and we know that means trouble in the future.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 9.
Just the Outlander chapter
We start the chapter with Claire and Jamie discussing Bobby Higgins. He has piles, and that’s what Claire has been treating. She assumes that is why John has sent Bobby to her, and that leads to some concerns.
She thinks that John wants Bobby to be healthy for certain things. Jamie has considered it too, but he does later point out that John would never coerce or use his power to get a man to please him in bed. That’s just not Lord John Grey’s style.
Something that I do like about this part of the chapter, though, is we’re reminded of Claire’s upbringing. Yes, she is a little more open-minded about certain things. She hates slavery because she is good friends with a Black man. However, she still has some opinions about gay men. It was still illegal in her time in the 1960s, and there were some negative thoughts about them.
Claire will have heard about things, and we don’t see that she knows a gay man personally, so she’s never been able to separate fact from fiction. She has more modern views than the people of the 18th century, but she doesn’t have our modern views.
The Browns initially turn up, which surprises Claire. It is a three-day ride from Brownsville. However, Jamie later points out that the Browns have heard rumors of a murderer at Fraser’s Ridge and they’ve come to see that. Bobby Higgins has been marked with an “M” from during the Boston Massacre. He killed one person, but it wasn’t something he intended to do. The Browns want to make a point that they’re there to keep people safe, and that means they need to make it look like there’s a danger they need to protect people from.
But back to Bobby Higgins. Claire finds out why he’s really been sent to her. It was nothing to do with the piles but everything to do with his fainting spells. He doesn’t know why they happen, and they seem to come out of the blue. Claire needs to get to the bottom of this.
She also needs to treat Lizzie’s latest malaria attack. This one also comes out of the blue and worries Lizzie’s father. Claire hasn’t been able to get someone to get her Jesuit’s bark yet, so she has to find something else that will help.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is a lot going on in the chapter with some plot development in the form of Bobby’s story. However, the foreshadowing is all about the Browns.
They are looking for trouble. They want to make it look like there is trouble in the backcountry and people need protection. Even if they manufacture the trouble, they’ll take it. This is certainly important to pay attention to.
We know that there is trouble in the area. This trouble seems minor right now and Claire and Jamie have no idea what’s really going on. Everything does end up connected, but it will take time to get there. The Browns in this chapter foreshadow the connecting storylines.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
This chapter wasn’t used in Outlander Season 5. I doubt some of it will, such as the Browns. We know that Jamie and Richard Brown will have trouble between them, but that’s not because Richard wants to be viewed as the protector of the backcountry. That’s all linked to Lionel Brown’s death.
The part that could still be used is everything about Bobby Higgins. The character could be introduced, but it’s not clear if that is going to happen yet. It’s going to depend on whether the show wants to add another character to the story when others we’ve already come to know could be used in Bobby’s place instead.
This is going to depend on cost and time. I would love to see Bobby introduced in the show, but I can understand why the show would choose against him. I just can’t say which way the series is going to go with this.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 9? Let us know in the comments below.
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