People prepare for a return to the future in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 119
Bree and Roger have no choice but to go back to their own time. Everyone starts to prepare for that in Outlander Book 6, Chapter 119.
We get a chapter split into four parts, seeing thoughts from different characters. It’s important, giving us a look at how everyone is handling Bree and Roger heading to their own time. They have no choice in doing this. Mandy needs medical treatments from the 20th century.
Before they can leave, though, there are a few things to tie up. One of those is Bobby Higgins returning, looking for a place to settle. Is there a place for him at the Ridge?
This really is a chapter that mostly pushes the plot forward. It’s a chance for goodbyes at the Ridge, even though Bree and Roger can’t tell everyone where they are actually going. Not everyone is going to accept the fact that they’re heading to the future. There isn’t that much in the way of foreshadowing that I see.
I am curious if we’ll get any of this chapter in the TV series. I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the adaptation section of this post.
Let’s dive into A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 119.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts from Roger’s point of view. He’s will Aidan and Jemmy, who share that Bobby Higgins has returned. They think Bobby is coming to see Malva’s ghost, who is apparently wandering her grave looking for her murderer. It’s a reminder that we haven’t got the full truth about Malva’s murder just yet.
I do love the boys’ story. They clearly heard stories from some of the superstitious adults in the area. Roger makes it clear that Malva’s soul is in Heaven and she doesn’t need her body until The Last Day. She isn’t a ghost.
He does think about what Aidan and others will do with him gone. However, Mandy needs him the most. Fortunately, Bobby Higgins showing up will help. Roger initially wonders if there’s a place at the Ridge for him. After all, he wants to settle because there are too many British soldiers turning up around Lord John Grey and they make him uneasy because of the scar on his head. Roger thinks about Amy. Bobby could make a good husband for Amy.
Roger does have a moment of jealousy thinking about Bobby and Amy. I don’t think that it’s that he likes Amy in that way but that he likes being needed. Amy turns to him for advice, and with Bobby around, she’ll turn to him instead.
After that, Jamie is with Brianna. He is trying to picture the future, which is only natural. Bree can’t imagine him going to work in a suit, but she can picture him as a farmer or a printer in her own time. She also notes that only the younger men go to war so he wouldn’t have to worry about that.
That night, Claire wakes up to find that Jamie wants her. He also makes it clear that he can’t live without her, but he gives her a stone so that she can travel through the stones. Claire throws the stone out of the window. It annoys me that she does this as that stone could be used for all sorts of other reasons. We’ve seen in the last few chapters that stones are hard to find. Jamie has had to rely on his friendship with John to get one of them. I hope Claire and Jamie went out to find it the next day so they could use it to sell.
I do admit that I find Jamie a little off-putting in this chapter. This is me looking at it from a past filled with trauma, so it is personal, but it is a great reminder that Jamie isn’t the perfect man. He certainly has some flaws.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
The chapter doesn’t foreshadow all that much when it comes to the characters. The only thing I see is that Bobby and Amy will end up getting married, and they will come to love each other. I still find the events of Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone devastating, and this chapter makes me think of them.
Most of this chapter is about Roger and Bree leaving. It’s about them saying goodbye and thinking about leaving so much behind. While they don’t come from the 18th century, they’ve made a home there.
Adapting A Breath of Snow and Ashes chapter
I’m not sure how much of this chapter is going to be used in Outlander. I know we need to have a goodbye because we have leaked footage that shows Bree and Roger in the 20th century. However, we’ve already had some goodbyes in Outlander Season 5. I would love to see Jamie and Bree discussing the future and what Jamie could do there.
Some of this chapter could be avoided if the show has decided not to bring Bobby Higgins into the story. There could also just be a quick mention of Amy marrying Bobby so Roger doesn’t need to worry about her. We don’t necessarily need to see Bobby just yet.
What did you spot while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes Chapter 119? Let us know in the comments below.
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