This post probably has some of the most meaningful quotes and passages from book 2. They are not related to the relationship between Jamie and Claire at all. They tend to be associated mostly with the whole series and subsequent books.
The Mare
The following passage is a reference to Claire. It is a conversation that takes place when both Jamie and Claire are at the stables at Argentan.
. . . In an open box stall, Jamie circled a Percheron mare, enamored as a horsefly.
“Ooh, what a bonnie wee lass ye are! Come here, sweetheart, let me see that beautiful fat rump. Mm, aye, that’s grand!”
“I wish my husband would talk that way to me,” remarked the Duchesse de Neve, . . . (Ch. 22)
Jamie does complement Claire often for having a “fat arse.” It is not the only case in which Claire is represented as a mare. In The Fiery Cross, she is a white horse that appears only in dreams. In Dragonfly in Amber, the connection with the animal is further established when both the stallion and the mare start to cry for each other. Claire relates:
. . . Uncomfortable as I was, I could feel the quick tingle of arousal through my breasts, and a tightening of my swollen belly as the mare once more answered the stallion’s call (Ch. 22).
If you are interested in reading more about the horse symbolism in Outlander, you can do a search on this website by typing “King of Ireland” or “White Animals.”
Raymond’s Legacy
Master Raymond did not write, but every so often, a parcel would come addressed to me, unsigned and unmarked, but containing odd things: rare herbs and small, faceted crystals; a collection of stones, each the size of Jamie’s thumbnail, smooth and disc-shaped. Each one had a tiny figure carved into one side, some with lettering above or on the reverse. And then there were the bones. . . (ch. 31)
These gemstones resemble Otter-Tooth’s opal in The Fiery Cross. It confirms that Raymond is aware that Claire is a time-traveller. He also thinks that her falling through time is not accidental. These “gifts” only make sense only when doing a reread. The bones could be considered charms. Claire muses that these stones are prehistoric, probably pre-Roman, an indication of the time frame from which Raymond comes. The carvings may represent magic. Claire subsequently gives one of the gemstones as a charm to Mary MacNab to stop her from worrying much about her son’s seizures (ch. 31). It is similar to how the Nayawenne’s blue sapphire tranquilizes the Mohawk child when Claire is tending his injured arm in Drums of Autumn. In book 2, Claire tries to emulate Raymond’s healing practices when having a headache. She successfully treats it. However, she considers her process “imperfect” (ch. 31). This imperfection is probably associated with her healing skills being not fully developed due to her youth and having her monthly periods.
Jamie and Claire as Half-Ghosts
Both Jamie and Claire communicate with the dead in their minds. In the case of Jamie, he “records” memories in his head, and he can replicate them creating vivid images, visions or hallucinations. In chapter 31, there are references to Jamie talking to his brother and hearing his father. Claire also confirms that she experiences the same.
. . . “With Uncle Lamb. And my parents. My mother especially. I – I didn’t think of her often, when I was young, just every now and then I’d dream about someone soft and warm, with a lovely singing voice. But when I was sick, after . . . Faith – sometimes I imagined she was there. With me” (ch. 31).
While Jamie has a tendency to experience vivid images while awake, Claire usually establishes communication with the “dead” in the hypnagogic/hypnopompic stage of sleep (vivid hallucinations one experiences when falling asleep or waking up).
If you are interested in reading more about half-ghosts, you can do a search on this website by typing asgina ageli or half-ghost. Three main characters seem to meet the criteria: Jamie, Claire, and Roger.
Other passages and Events
Back in January, I wrote three blog posts about color symbolism. One of them went viral: blue color symbolism. In that post, I speculated that Claire might be buried at Lallybroch. In book 2, Jamie sees Claire as something that has always belonged to Lallybroch.
. . . “Well, it’s only I was thinking, seeing ye come down the hill wi’ the basket on your arm, how bonny ye looked wi’ the sun on your brown hair. I thought you looked as though ye grew there, like one of the saplings – like ye’d always been a part of this place. . .” (ch. 31)
This passage is significant. It could be another hint that Claire might be buried at Lallybroch. However, old ruins and structures are part of Lallybroch. One wonders whether Claire is a reincarnation of somebody who used to live in the past, in prehistoric times, which is unlikely because of the lack of evidence in the books. It could also mean that her ancestors (Raymond?) probably occupied Lallybroch.
“Whatever God meant you to be, Jamie Fraser, it wasn’t a monk” (ch. 23).
After the first episode of bleeding that Claire experienced while pregnant, Jamie feels like practicing abstinence. Claire disagrees. The passage reminds me of what Jamie told Claire on their wedding night, that he was a virgin but not a monk. It is also a more subtle reminder of him trying to become a monk after being rejected by Annalise de Marillac.
. . . The Bonnie Prince was not behaving. He was rude and overbearing to his most loyal followers, ignored those who might be of help to him, insulted whom he should not, talked wildly, and -reading between the lines – drank to excess. . . (ch. 31)
I think the TV adaptation is doing a marvelous job in portraying Prince Charles, at least based on what book 2 details.
Finally, I would like to add a link in which the author explains the symbolism of the prehistoric skeletons found in the cave.
http://www.dianagabaldon.com/resources/faq/faq-about-the-characters/
Something that I have noticed recently is that most of the foreshadowing quotes in book two are in the first half of the book. The last few hundred pages have less and less, so I am currently collecting meaningful passages that I will be publishing in a subsequent post.
Sources
Gabaldon, Diana. Dragonfly in Amber. New York: Bantam Dell, 1993. Print.