Claire has everything she needs to operate on Tom Christie in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 23
Claire is ready for Tom Christie to let her operate on his hand. That doesn’t look like it will happen at first in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 23. Will Tom come around?
In a previous chapter, Claire made it clear that Tom would need surgery. Without it, he would love the use of his hand, and that would mean he’d be unable to write. It looked like he was considering it, but then Malva shares that he doesn’t really want to. Claire needs to talk him around, especially now that she has ether.
Before we get to see that outcome, though, we learn a little more about Arch Bug. More specifically, we find out that it was Frasers who chopped off his fingers, but not kin of Jamie. That’s certainly a relief, but I think that this chapter certainly foreshadows things to come when it comes to Arch’s loyalties and feelings.
The chapter hasn’t been used in the series yet. I don’t think we’ll get Arch’s story, but I do think that Tom’s storyline will come up. After all, we know that the Christies are a big part of Outlander Season 6. This storyline is important, and I’ll get to why that is.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 23.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Claire passing out from ether. It works as an anesthetic and that’s the important thing. Now she just needs to get Tom Christie to agree to the surgery. Malva is working on him agreeing to it.
First, Claire and Jamie need to head to the Bugs’ cabin. That’s where Claire finally learns what happened to Arch’s fingers. He shares that the Frasers chopped them off—not the Frasers of Lovat though. It was a different clan that is no longer around, and it all turned out to be clans hating on each other.
Jamie is certainly relieved to find out that it wasn’t kin of his. However, he and Claire are shocked about the revelation.
The next part of the chapter is focused on Tom Christie as he makes it clear that he doesn’t want surgery. Claire points out that he’s going to lose all function if he doesn’t and eventually, manages to talk him around to the surgery enough to get him to at least turn up after breakfast. Tom tries to pull the religion card and that it’s God’s will, but Claire pulls him up on that.
On the following day, Tom still makes it clear that he doesn’t want to do it. He is scared of being put under with the anesthetic. He ends up having the surgery without any anesthetic, which means that Jamie is also there to read from a Bible. It’s a chance to get Tom’s surgery done and see some attempt of bonding with Jamie continuing to be a laird.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is a bit of foreshadowing with both Arch and Tom in this chapter. When it comes to Arch, it’s clear that he is only really loyal to himself. Well, and to his wife. It’s clear that Arch knows a lot more than he initially lets on.
We know that he and his wife are looking for the Frenchman’s gold. They don’t really have any loyalty to the Frasers, and this just shows a hint as to why. It may be a different Fraser family but the name sticks.
The other bit of foreshadowing is Tom’s storyline. Claire stands up to him, and I think that this is the point we get to see him gain some sort of attraction toward her. This is something that is going to grow over the next few chapters.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
The chapter hasn’t been used in Outlander Season 5. That’s not surprising since the Christies haven’t shown up yet. This is the storyline I expect to see turn up in Season 6. The family is going to come up as a problem.
We need to see the family interact with the Frasers. This is going to be important to understand motivations and get to know them. There needs to be some sense of sympathy or just get a sense of the darkness to the characters.
Arch’s storyline isn’t all that necessary. We haven’t had the Bugs come up as main characters and more as just in passing. We also haven’t seen the Frenchman’s gold show up just yet, and there isn’t really a need for that. The storylines that the Bugs are involved in with the gold can be developed in other ways—it all leads to the house fire.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 23? Let us know in the comments below.
Like Claire and Jamie on Facebook for the latest from the Outlander Book Club and much more.