This is my second to last post in regards to everything associated with Malva. I recommend reading the following post before reading this one.
Malva’s Conception of Love and her Promiscuity Part 2
In this post, I exposed Malva’s ideas about marriage, love and sex. I also detailed how she has been abused throughout her life by both Tom and Allan, and has not received any love at all from immediate family members. As a result, she looked for comfort outside in the form of sex. I supported this view by using references used throughout A Breath of Snow and Ashes in which different characters are looking for physical contact as a form of comfort. Furthermore, the reader learns from Claire’s point of view that Malva longs for her mother. In fact, Malva’s life experiences and the stigma placed on her by being the child of a witch make her a perfect candidate for being a murderess.
Malva’s Nature and the “Issue” with Bobby’s Hallucination
The hallucination that Bobby Higgins experiences while being under the effects of ether is considered to be an indicator of Malva’s nature by many readers. He describes seeing “the most terrible thing” (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 42). He relates to Claire:
“I scarcely know, tell’ ee true, miss. Only as it was . . . dark, like. A form, as you might say; I thought ’twas a woman’s. But . . . terrible,” he finished helpless. (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 42)
Claire exhibits a similar hallucination after resuscitating Aidan McCallum:
I saw a pair of figures before me, black, distorted, with gaping mouths that opened toward me, filled with sharp fangs. I blinked, staggering, and took deep gulps of air. Blinked again, and the figures resolved themselves into Tom Christie and Amy McCallum. . .(A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 50)
The forms that both Bobby and Claire see in their hallucinations are both physically dark and malign. Bobby witnesses a woman since it is actually Malva the person closest to him when the ether was being administered. Similarly Claire sees the distorted forms of Tom and Amy. Of note is the fact that they are not capable of committing the atrocities that Malva subsequently does.
A possible explanation to this similarity in the hallucinations is that every human shares the same brain physiology and anatomy. In studying the hallucinations and out-of-body experiences produced by marijuana, Blackmore concluded that they also resemble those ones associated with near-death-experiences, and that these “similarities are due to similarities in the brains and nervous systems of different people” (174). As a result, Bobby’s hallucination may not be a satisfactory hint of Malva’s nature.
Young Ian’s perception of Malva is probably a more suitable instance of her nature. Furthermore, Malva can be compared to his former Mohawk wife. In explaining his marriage to Emily in a conversation with Brianna, Young Ian expresses “the sense of absolute security” he used to feel when sleeping at Lallybroch (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 69). This changes radically once he starts moving around with Jamie. Young Ian relates that he used to wake up and feel disoriented without knowing who he was (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 69). However, he recovers his identity and the sense of security when sleeping with his former wife.
“But when I lay wi’ Emily – from the first time. I knew. Kent who I was again.” He looked up at her then, eyes dark and shadowed by loss. “My soul didna wander while I slept – when I slept wi’ her” (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 69).
When it comes to Malva, Young Ian does not feel safe. He mentions to Claire that he would not dare to fall asleep while lying with her (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 82).
The relationship between Allan and Malva
Allan’s comments to Claire about his “love” for Malva are revealing. In regards to his father, he relates to Claire:
“He would ha’ sold her away, given her to some clod of a farmer.” Allan’s fist clenched on his thigh. “I thought of that, as she grew older, and sometimes when I would lie with her, I couldna bear the thought, and would slap her face, only from the rage of thinking of it” (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 122).
It seems that Malva’s sexual relationship with Allan was a mix of consent and rape. Allan had a violent nature. Therefore, he could be abusive in bed. The relationship was consensual due to the fact that Malva probably looked for comfort in Allan. This is further supported by Claire’s point of view.
. . . My horror at the story and my anger at what he had done to us was subsumed by a flood of sorrow. Oh Malva, I thought in despair. Oh, my darling Malva. Why didn’t you tell me? But of course she wouldn’t have told me. Her only confidant was Allan. (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 122)
Malva’s mistake was in trusting Allan. This is the main reason why she told him she was going to meet Claire. It led her to her doom.
Forensic Analysis
Based on the information of the murder scene, it seems that Malva was not expecting to be killed by Allan. This implies that she trusted him to the point that she never thought he would commit the act of killing.
Malva’s gray eyes were open, blank with surprise, and her cap had fallen off. . . (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 84)
There is no reference to Malva fighting back her attacker. What is expected from a person who is being attacked (or expecting an attack) by somebody who is carrying a knife is to protect himself or herself with the hands. Therefore, hands should exhibit cuts. There is no reference to them in Malva’s lifeless body (I learned this particular detail in a Forensic Anthropology class). Of course, there is a reference to the blood being everywhere (Ch. 84). However, I tend to think that it is more related to a major artery in the throat area (carotid) being severed.
It was entirely possible to find the killer at the scene immediately after the murder. Claire provides the following information to Major MacDonald.
“You know that there were bee gums at the edge of my garden? The murderer kicked two of them over in fleeing; he must be stung several times – I was , when I came into the garden. Jamie – Jamie had no stings. It wasn’t him.” And under the circumstances, I had not been able to find out which man – or woman? For the first time, it occurred to me that it could have been a woman – had been stung. (A Breath of Snow and Ashes, ch. 95)
It is interesting to note Claire’s failure in bringing this logic forward immediately after the murder in order to find the criminal, especially when considering her knowledge of forensics, which she has applied to several cases throughout the series.
Next post will be about Malva’s love for Claire and some other clarifications of the story plot line related to the Christies. Thanks for reading.
Works Cited
Blackmore, Susan J. Beyond the Body. 1982. Chicago: Academy Chicago Publishers, Print.
Gabaldon, Diana. A Breath of Snow and Ashes. 2005. New York: Bantam Dell. 2006. Print.