We learn a little more about William in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 36
We head back to William’s part of the story in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 36. It’s time to learn a little more about him and his past.
My heart goes out to William in this chapter. We find out just how lonely he is, and the way he manages to avoid that loneliness. There is a difference between being alone and lonely, and we all have our coping strategies. I do like to see William’s in the 18th century. They are so very different from Jamie’s and Lord John Grey’s methods.
We also get to see him head back to somewhere he went in the past. There are memories of the past mixed in with events of the future, giving us a chance to know William even more.
I think there is a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter when it comes to William getting lost in the woods. I’ll get to that in that section of this post.
This is a chapter I would like to see developed in the series. I think it will be, and I’ll share why in the adaptation section of the post.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 36.
Just the Outlander chapter
We start with William heading to the Dismal Swamp. He’s been here before, and his memories lead to him not really accepting the dangers of the place. It’s only while he’s there that he’s able to separate the good memories he has with the realities of the journey.
While on his journey, William thinks about how lonely he is. He’s always been lonely as an only child, and he’s just had to accept that. It does mean that he’s happy in his own thoughts, but he often finds ways to distract himself. He uses women to do that, which is so very much like a young adult male that I adore it. Of course, men haven’t changed throughout the years.
As he goes around the Dismal Swamp, he ends up losing his horse and everything that he’s come with. He’s lost and now completely alone, wandering through the woods. There’s a moment when he’s injured by a splinter, but he’s able to stop the bleeding for the time being. He decides to curl up in the roots of the trees for some sort of safety as the storm passes.
One of the benefits of being in the swamp before with Lord John Grey is that he knows that there is game. While he’s alone, he’s not completely helpless. He can catch some food, and that’s what he decides to do. He even thinks of Jamie at one point, although it’s as the groomsman on the estate and not as his father.
Fog causes a problem, though. It’s so thick that William can’t move forward. It’s like he’s trapped with just his thoughts and himself. However, we learn something interesting in this chapter. He can hear the rocks talking. This is something he’s heard before, and there was something about him hearing a noise in the past. Is it possible that William is a time traveler through his mother’s side, or is this a development of the gift that Jamie has?
The chapter ends with William still trying to survive. He knows that game means drinkable water. Now he needs to find that.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
I do get a sense of foreshadowing in this chapter when it comes to William finding out about his true parentage. There’s this mention of roots that William decides to curl up in. Is it possible that this is a foreshadowing of William finding out about his own roots? It certainly seems possible when you consider the thoughts William has about Jamie.
I also think there’s some foreshadowing of William having some sort of ability. We know that Jamie has something although he can’t time travel. William may have inherited it in some way, in a similar way Mandy and Jem have their abilities not linked to time travel.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I would love to see this chapter developed in Outlander Season 7. This is the part that connects William’s journey to the Hunters from what I remember, so we will need to see it. Even if it doesn’t fully connect in the book, I think this is a way the series can condense things.
It’s important to get to know William. What better way than to see him attempt to survive in the Dismal Swamp? The show doesn’t have to spend a lot of time on it, but it would be good to see his survival skills considering we’ve already seen Claire and Brianna’s skills.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 36? Let us know in the comments below.
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