Ian considers leaving Claire and Jamie behind in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 13
As everyone gets ready to leave for Lallybroch, Ian considers running away completely. We get to hear his thoughts about returning home in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 13.
Something that I love is that Ian isn’t leaving Claire and Jamie because he doesn’t want to go home. It’s actually that he’s looking to protect them. He fears what Arch Bug is going to do, worried about what’s to come for a future wife.
That would suggest he decides to remain single to protect everyone, right? Well, not so much. Jamie clearly realizes that Ian is going to run away and sticks around so that can’t happen. While Jamie and Claire are together, Ian realizes that he wants the warmth that Claire offers Jamie. I love that we see what Ian takes from Jamie and Claire’s marriage, and he wants a love like that.
There is some foreshadowing in this chapter when it comes to Ian’s story. I’ll get to that in the foreshadowing section.
What about it being used in the series? I’m not too sure it will, and I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 13.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with Ian thinking about leaving. He thinks that this will be the safest thing for everyone. Arch is a threat, and Ian doesn’t want people he loves taken from him. However, Jamie clearly realizes what Ian is planning on doing and camps out with Ian for the night.
That’s when Ian realizes that leaving isn’t an option—and it’s not exactly safe. Jamie will come after him, just like he’s done in the past. So, there’s no point in leaving.
Instead, he’ll need to go to Lallybroch, and this brings up a lot of questions. How will he be accepted at home? Will his mom accept what he has become? Will women find him terrifying? After all, the people of Scotland will have never seen a Native American, so seeing someone like Ian show up could be scary.
His thoughts move on from that as he sees movement between Jamie’s blankets. Claire is there, and the two of them are intimate. Ian initially feels uncomfortable, but he also realizes the type of love Claire and Jamie has. He wants something like that.
Without a wife, he decides to look at the women in his mind to find comfort. He runs through those he can and can’t think about. He wants to think about Bree, but knows that she would find it unacceptable. He can’t think of Malva because it would call her ghost forward. He thinks about Mary from Voyager and a young blonde girl—could that have been Lizzie?
I always wonder why he didn’t think of Emily. I guess it still just hurts too much. He’s come to accept what happened, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to think about being with her.
He decides that the vision of the young blonde girl will be his wife in his mind. Foreshadowing! What I absolutely adore is that Ian is thinking of being with a woman as a married man. We know he’s not all that innocent, but that doesn’t stop him from being honorable when the time comes.
The ending of the chapter is about Rollo. He can’t escape the humans around him, so he just rolls on his back with his paws in the air. It’s almost like he’s playing dead to just escape the uncomfortable situation. Poor pup!
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
Oh, there is certainly some foreshadowing in this chapter when it comes to Ian. That young blonde girl is about to come to him in real life. I think I missed this the first time I read it, and that’s often because I overlook the way characters are described at first. The first time I read, I get a vague outline of a character and then fill in blanks with a second read.
But this chapter certainly foreshadows Rachel Hunter coming. Ian will get what he wants, but Arch is going to threaten that happiness. Arch won’t have that anymore with the loss of his wife.
I think skipping over Emily is actually some foreshadowing. He loved Emily, but he has had to grieve her loss. It’s like she is dead to him now, and he has to accept that. So, we get this foreshadowing that Ian will find someone he loves and marry again—but Emily is still out there.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I’m not sure we’ll get this chapter in the TV series. A lot of it is internalized, and it’s difficult to bring internalized chapters to life on the series. Plus, I’m not entirely sure we’re going to need it. We could see Ian fear Arch Bug’s return and mention leaving, but Jamie making it clear that isn’t an option.
That being said, I would love to see Ian admit that he wants a wife. I’d love to see him admit that he wants a love like Claire and Jamie. That’s possible without the entire chapter.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 13? Let us know in the comments below.
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