Roger isn’t happy Brianna is going back to work in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 16
We head back to the 20th century in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 18, and it’s time to see what Bree and Roger are up to. Things aren’t quite all sunshine and rainbows in paradise.
Brianna is going back to work, and Roger isn’t happy about this. I love that we get to see this dynamic. There’s no doubt that one of them does need to work, but that doesn’t mean it has to be Bree if Roger really wanted to stick to his view that men provide for their families.
We get to see inside Roger’s mind a little more. This is a chance to see that conflict in who he is and who he wants to be—and part of him doesn’t even know who he is. It gives us this reminder that Roger is a flawed man, and that makes him all the more realistic. You constantly have to question why he is so bothered by Brianna going to work.
This chapter doesn’t seem to foreshadow all that much to me. It’s more of just a catch-up as to where Bree and Roger are right now. I’ll get to that in the foreshadowing section.
I do hope to see it in the adaptation of the series. I’ll get to why that is later on.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 16.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with the MacKenzies in an argument. Brianna is going back to work. She needs to because they’re running low on money. Roger hasn’t got a job yet, and it looks like he isna’t all that motivated to get one. Bree literally tells him that “one of us needs to work, and if it isn’t going to be you, it’ll have to be me.”
I do have to facepalm at the way Bree says this, but I get it. It’s not like she’s work shy, but Roger is annoyed at her getting a job. Bree doesn’t see another option, and maybe she’s a little resentful about that. Plus, if Roger really wants a job, this could be her way to motivating him.
Why would Roger be so bothered by Bree working? It all comes to the time period they’re in. Roger was raised in a time when men supported their families. Bree shouldn’t have to work, and if anyone found out she worked and he was a stay-at-home dad, there would be a lot of talk and sneers. Roger doesn’t want that.
But for Bree, she doesn’t just want to stay at home. She’s been raised to be independent and self-sufficient. Both Claire and Frank helped with that, along with the fact that she was raised in 1960s America. Of course, she’s going to want to work.
I think there’s also a bit of jealousy for Roger. Bree knows what she wants to do, and it’s going to be a little easier for her to explain why she took some time out of the workforce. She had children. Roger doesn’t find it all that easy to explain his disappearance. Plus, they’re in Lallybroch which they bought from Bree’s inheritance. That will lead to a sort of power imbalance between them, and that will play on Roger’s mind.
This chapter really remains about Roger trying to find his place. He used to be happy in education. When he ended up in the past, there was a big question about what he would do with his life, and he seemed to find a calling. However, he wasn’t quite settled with that. Now he doesn’t seem settled with what he used to do. Who Roger thought he was isn’t that person, and this chapter brings that out.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
I don’t see all that much foreshadowing in the chapter. It doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things considering everything that is about to happen. However, it is important to help catch us up with where the MacKenzies are now.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I would like to see this chapter used in Outlander Season 7. It is important in the development of the MacKenzies as they land in the 20th century. We need to see how they’re climatizing to the environment. After all, it will be a culture shock of sorts after living in the 18th century for so many years.
One thing I love is seeing Roger struggle with the various parts of him. Even he can’t really figure out why it’s so hard for him to let Bree work, especially when it does make sense right now. I do think we need more of this within the show to see everyone develop fully. Too much can be left to assume. Just look at how people say “that wasn’t something Murtagh would do,” because they didn’t get to experience the way Murtagh felt after 20 years in imprisonment and the Colonies.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 16? Let us know in the comments below.
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