Written in My Own Heart's Blood

“In the light of eternity, time casts no shadow. Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. [...] But what is it that the old women see? We see necessity, and we do the things that must be done.”

Taken from the Bible, Acts 2:17 this allusion references the end of days; in this instance, Gabaldon is alluding to the American Revolution. Though men in colonial America see the glory in war and dream of the ideal of freedom, the women of this time see necessity; they continue to feed, shelter, and care for those they love in spite of the ravages of war. In Claire’s case, she also sees Jamie, who is the “face long-loved” (Prologue Page xvii).

“He felt suddenly as though he’d broken through a crust of frozen snow and plunged straight down into an unsuspected river beneath [...] helpless, voiceless, a feral chill clawing at his heart.”

This simile describes William’s feelings of losing control over his life and his identity after discovering he is the son of Jamie Fraser. William’s sense of identity is rooted deeply in his presumed lineage, and when that is stripped away, he metaphorically drowns in the deception that has been practiced against him since he was born.

“A tide in the affairs of men”

The title of this chapter is taken from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. In this metaphor, Brutus means that the key to success in life lies understanding the motivations that move the affairs of men and seize the opportunities offered. In this chapter, it is the arrival of George Washington’s army that is the tide; Jamie takes the opportunity to meet with Washington and subsequently is commissioned as a general.