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59 pages 1 hour read

Diana Gabaldon

Dragonfly in Amber

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1992

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Symbols & Motifs

Pearls

Content Warning: This Symbols and Motifs section contains references to sexual assault.

On their wedding day, Jamie gives Claire a pearl necklace that belonged to his mother, Ellen MacKenzie. These pearls are symbolic of Jamie’s affection and trust in Claire. Claire pawns the pearls after the arrests of Jamie’s men for desertion to get them blankets and other necessities until Jamie can secure their pardon. At this point, the pearls become a symbol of generosity for the men.

Claire wears the pearls as she tells her story to Brianna and Roger. She tells Roger that she would like to use them as proof of her story, but they both agree that there is nothing on the pearls to prove they belonged to the MacKenzie clan, that they are over 200 years old, or that Jamie gave them to her. In the end, these pearls are only a nostalgic piece of jewelry that could or could not have come from a Scots Highlander in 1743. To Claire, however, they continue to symbolize Jamie’s love for her on their wedding day.

Wedding Rings

Claire wears two wedding rings: one gold ring on her left hand given to her by Frank, and one of silver on her right hand given to her by Jamie. The gold ring becomes a symbol of Frank’s continued existence throughout the novel, proof of Frank’s continued lineage and, therefore, his existence. Claire believes that if Frank were to stop existing in her time, the rings would disappear because he never would have given them to her.

The silver ring is a symbol of Jamie’s love for her. It is the ring she treasures the most. At the end of the novel, the silver ring also becomes proof to Roger that Claire’s story of time travel is true. Claire removes the ring to look for a jeweler’s symbol and instead finds an engraving of a line of poetry she had not known was there. The expression on Claire’s face when she finds it is the proof Roger needs to know she believes her story, therefore it must be true.

Crystal Necklace

Master Raymond gives Claire a white crystal necklace that changes colors when exposed to poison to protect her from a second poisoning. The crystal is never used as intended, but it becomes a saving grace when the would-be rapist who attacks Claire sees the crystal and identifies her as La Dame Blanche. Claire also tries to use the crystal to trap the Comte St. Germain into showing that he was involved in the attack, but he never looks at the necklace. In this way, the necklace becomes a symbol of protection for Claire.

Craigh na Dun

Craigh na Dun is a motif of time travel within the novel. Craigh na Dun is the circle of stones where Claire, in late spring of 1946, goes alone to explore the rocks and finds herself transported back to 1743 when she steps through them. All through the first novel, Claire works to return to Craigh na Dun to return home to Frank but decides not to go after she falls in love with Jamie. In this novel, Claire rarely thinks of Craigh na Dun because she is content to remain with Jamie for the rest of her life. It is not until the death of Dougal MacKenzie and Jamie’s understanding that both his and Claire’s lives are now in danger by the MacKenzie clan that they return to Craigh na Dun. Jamie sends Claire home, protecting not only her, but the unborn child he knows she is carrying.

At the end of the novel, Claire reveals to Roger Wakefield that he is a direct descendant of Geillis Duncan, and that Claire believes Geillis will be going through the stones at Craigh na Dun very soon. Due to Roger’s lineage and Claire’s desire to warn Geillis of her fate in 1743, she, Roger, and Brianna travel to Craigh na Dun to warn her. Rather than warning Geillis, however, the visit becomes the proof that Brianna and Roger both need to finally believe Claire’s story. In this way, Craigh na Dun also becomes a symbol of truth as well as time travel.

Sassenach

Sassenach means outlander in Gaelic. Jamie began calling Claire this when he first met her in the first book of the series because to him, she is an outlander as she is an Englishwoman in Scotland. However, after their marriage, he begins to call her sassenach as a term of affection. Multiple times in the novel he tells her that she is an outlander, but she is his outlander, turning the word into a symbol of his love, respect, and possession of her as his wife.

Honor

Jamie explains to Claire on several occasions that honor requires him to act in certain ways. Honor becomes a motif of this novel as it motivates Jamie to change history to protect his family and friends, as well as the tenants on his land. It also motivates him to protect his own honor and that of Fergus when he challenges Jack Randall to a duel. Although Claire does not fully understand what honor means to Jamie, he is a man who believes in living a respectful life and that respect means protecting those he loves and those he is responsible for. At the same time, Jamie lives by a code of honor, however, he struggles with his self-confidence because he was tortured and sexually assaulted, something his honor code tells him he should not have allowed to happen.

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