Note: This is analysis based on chapter 6, 7, 8 and 9.
Jamie’s and Claire’s first encounter with Alexander Randall ends in a cliffhanger. Claire faints thinking that Alexander is Black Jack. Of course this is aggravated by Jamie recognizing Alexander also as Jonathan Randall. However, of interest is Claire’s description of Mary Hawkins.
. . . Quite plainly dressed, she had the sort of beauty that would make her stand out in any crowd. She was small, fine-boned but nicely rounded in figure, with dark, shiny, unpowdered hair and the most extraordinary white skin, flushed across the cheeks with a clear deep pink that made her look exactly like a flower petal (Dragonfly in Amber, ch. 9).
Basically there are some physical similarities between Claire and Mary. They both have dark hair even though Mary’s specific colour is not mentioned. They both have pale skin. Just keep in mind that the Cherokee find Claire associated with the ghost bear due to the colour of her skin in The Fiery Cross. Mary is lean but has some curves. She might have a “fat arse” too.
Claire somehow identifies herself with Mary.
Her coloring reminded me of a dress I’d once had in my own time, a light cotton frock decorated with red poppies. The thought for some reason struck me with a sudden unexpected wave of homesickness, and I gripped the edge of the marble bench, eyelids prickling with longing. . . (Dragonfly in Amber, ch. 9)
At this stage the reader is not aware that this young lady is Mary. This passage is a hint that she will be giving birth to the line of Randalls from which Frank comes from. Poppies are sedative. They might foreshadow Claire fainting after seeing Alexander. They are associated with sleep and dreams. No wonder Claire starts thinking about her time. It seems that she starts to faint exactly at this moment, even before seeing Alexander. The fact that Claire had a dress that shared Mary’s face colouring establishes a link between two couples:
- Alexander and Mary
- Frank and Claire
Basically Mary’s colouring is a hint that Frank is a direct descendant of Alexander. This is not the only case in which there is a connection between Mary and Claire. When Silas Hawkins mentions to Jamie the marriage arrangement between his niece and the Vicomte Marigny, Claire identifies herself with Mary.
“She’s fifteen?” I said, uneasily. I knew that early marriages were not uncommon, but fifteen? Still, I had been married at nineteen – and again at twenty-seven. I knew the hell of a lot more at twenty-seven (Dragonfly in Amber, ch. 8)
Is this Claire’s realization that her marriage to Frank was a mistake? Is she attributing this mistake to the fact that she was young when she got married to him? Furthermore, both women make the choice of being with the man they want even though the time spent with their loved ones is short. The symbolism of the dragonfly applies to them. The love in both of their relationships is fleeting and not long-lasting due to circumstances outside of their control.
The knowledge that Mary Hawkins will be marrying Black Jack leaves Claire and Jamie speculating about why she still carries Frank’s ring. This and the fact that Frank shares a strong resemblance with his “ancestors” are a hint that Black Jack is not dead.
“If he’s dead, Jamie – if he won’t exist, because Jonathan is dead – then why do I still have the ring he gave me?” (Dragonfly in Amber, ch. 8)
Of interest is the scene in chapter 8 in which Jamie is dreaming of Black Jack. Here is Claire’s description of him.
. . . I wondered briefly if he were sleepwalking, for his expression didn’t change; he looked straight through me, and whatever he saw, he didn’t like it (Dragonfly in Amber, ch. 8).
Jamie is having a vivid dream, probably a hallucination due to trauma. He is disposed to have them often not only of Black Jack but also of loved ones. He might be having a dream within a dream, or he could be in the hypnopompic state, in which hallucinations are possible.
. . . “I’m awake.” He spoke as though wanting to convince himself of the fact (Dragonfly in Amber, ch. 8).
Featured image is from Outlander-Online.
Sources
Gabaldon, Diana. Dragonfly in Amber. New York: Bantam Dell, 1993. Print.