Written in My Own Heart's Blood

Jamie is Claire’s husband; handsome and virile, he has red hair, dark-blue cat eyes, and is tall and fit. He embodies the father archetype, providing protection and support to his family, as well as leadership and discipline to his troops and progeny. Jamie is by birth a Highlander, but he immigrated to America with Claire and founded Fraser’s Ridge, a settlement in the South Carolina mountains. His perspective is founded on 18th-century patriarchal mores, but he is also portrayed as sensitive and compassionate, especially towards those most vulnerable to violence. Jamie has two biological children: Brianna MacKenzie, his daughter with Claire, and William Ransom, who has only just learned that he is the son of Jamie rather than the 8th Earl of Ellesmere. James also has a foster son, Fergus Fraser, and a stepdaughter, Marsali. It is his return from the dead at the beginning of the novel that unleashes the storm of conflict, identity issues, and grace that drives the plot forward.

Although he is steadfast and passionate in his love for Claire, his strong sense of duty and honor creates conflict in their relationship. Shortly after reuniting with Claire, he shows up in the uniform of a Continental officer. Claire initially objects to his accepting the commission, but then states, “I know you have to. I know it’s part of what you are. You can’t stand aside and still be what you are” (384). Jamie is a warrior, who offers Claire the “protection of my body” when they wed and who honors that promise (998). But he is also a man of dark passions; when he hunts down and kills Claire’s rapist, Claire remembers, “I had seen Jamie’s hate flame bright the night he saved me and said to his men, ‘Kill them all’ (1110). Jamie is complex and effects change in the novel, but his experiences do not transform him; instead, his inherent qualities deepen and become stronger. Jamie is responsible, however, for enabling Claire’s growth; he is her sounding board and her succor, and it is his support that enables her to thrive.

Ian is a product of two warrior heritages: he was born a Highlander and is the nephew of James Fraser but was adopted by the Mohawk when he was seventeen. Tall with pale skin, he has beautiful deer-like brown eyes. His dog Rollo, a wolf hybrid, is his constant companion and battle partner. While Ian has a kindhearted nature, he is merciless in battle or when protecting those he loves. His wry wit often clarifies uncomfortable truths for other characters. By the novel’s end, Ian is more at peace with the twin sides of his nature and has settled with Rachel and his new son in Fraser’s Ridge. Ian Murray and Rachel Hunter Murray represent the marriage of Quaker tenets with a warrior’s creed.

Rachel Hunter, who at one time was the object of William Ransom’s affections, is a Quaker. Her calm presence and adherence to the Quaker tenets soothes the turbulent side of Ian’s nature. William describes her as a “nut-brown maiden” but her most defining characteristic is her demeanor (168). Rachel functions as a peacemaker in the novel and exemplifies the innocent/mystic archetype. At times, she seems to communicate directly with God when she is making decisions. She smooths the waters in situations where other characters are behaving badly, such as at the wake for Henri-Christian, and helps William to recognize the good in his own nature. She balances Ian and forgives his ruthless side when he cannot forgive himself. Rather than force him to change, she chooses to stay beside him without betraying her own principles, telling him that he must walk his own path. Because the Quaker faith believes that both men and women are equal in the sight of God, Rachel is a progressive woman for her time.

William is Jamie’s illegitimate son and is also the 9th Earl of Ellesmere. Raised by Lord John Grey after his mother and father die on the day of his birth, he is comfortable in his life of privilege until that world destroyed by his discovery of his true paternity. He closely resembles Jamie: he is tall with red hair, dark-blue cat eyes, and is stubborn with an explosive temper. William curses Jamie and John for deceiving him about his birth throughout the novel. A hot-headed child, he is still impulsive and self-centered as a young man, though he inherits a sense of honor from John Grey. His character arc follows the bildungsroman model; he is devastated when he learns of his true paternity, and he is searching for an identity he can live with throughout the rest of the novel. He outwardly sheds his claim to nobility when he embarks on his search for Ben, resigning his commission in the British Army when he also abandons his idealistic views of the glory of war. However, he truly begins to mature when his emotional focus shifts from himself to the sisters Jane and Fanny. Like Jamie, he is at his best when he is protecting those he loves. When he attempts to rescue Jane from execution, he is putting his reputation and life at stake, and that act of selflessness culminates in a reconciliation between him and Jamie. William is a round, dynamic character, both selfish and selfless, angry and loving, and he matures into a man who does not yet know how the world should perceive him but has learned quite a bit about the person he is.

Lord John Grey was one of Jamie’s closest friends, as well as the man who married Claire when Jamie was presumed dead. However, John’s perceived betrayal sets up an ongoing conflict between him and Jamie, which is only partially resolved when Jamie and Claire reconcile. John’s sense of humor is his most defining characteristic; the Grey family is known for their humor and “would pause on the gallows to exchange witty banter with the hangman before graciously putting the noose about his neck with his own hands” (638). Because John is gay, he is especially vulnerable when Captain Richardson begins to seek leverage against the Grey family. John, like Jamie, is devoted to protecting those he loves; his first action after learning about Richardson’s plans for his family is to break his parole to warn Hal and William. He is dependable and charming, and his sense of honor is unimpeachable.

Brianna is the daughter of Jamie and Claire, and she appears in three timelines in the novel. She and Roger traveled to the 20th century when their daughter Mandy was diagnosed with a rare heart disease. They live in Lallybroch, the ancestral home of the Frasers. Brianna is tall with flaming red hair and her temperament resembles Jamie’s; she is passionate, quick to anger, but fiercely loyal and protective. When Roger disappears into the past to search for Jem, Brianna beats off a rapist, rescues her child, tracks down the gang who is threatening her family, engages in a shoot-out, and takes her children back in time to find her husband. She is indomitable and capable, both a warrior and a mother. When Buck questions Roger’s decision to leave her behind while he searches for Jem, Roger allows that if Robbie Cameron tried anything against Brianna or their kids, “he’ll either be in jail or buried beneath the broch” (361).