A couple in the makingand reconciliation
Egalitarian Mode / Possession / Perfect Symmetry:
It is in the intimate scenes throughout their lives that I notice this equality that Claire felt at the time of their reconciliation at Leoch Castle. Equality that Claire has never experienced before with Frank, indeed it is "at that moment that she really chose Jamie".
/… "Oh, yes, Sassenach," he replied smirk. I am your master ... and your slave. It seems I can't own your soul without losing mine. He turned me on his side and snuggled up against me. The cool of the evening entered the bedroom through the open window and he pulled the comforter down over us. Definitely he learns quickly, I thought to myself. He found in no time what Frank had always sought in vain. »I fell asleep, pressed tight against him, his hot breath caressing my ear»… T1 Ch23 «Back to Leoch».
/ And always this sharing in the possession of body and soul .... "- I need you, please," she whispered. He lifted her off the ground »… T7-1 Ch11…
/ «- My God, Claire, how I need you! »… T8-1 Ch 24…
/ "- I need you, Sassenach. An urgent need. »… T8-2 Ch5
By Gratianne Garçia
Recognize the other without giving up on oneself:
/… "- It all depends on you, Claire. My life is yours. It's up to you to decide where to go: in France, in Italy, or even in Scotland. My heart has been yours ever since I laid eyes on you and held my soul and body in your hands. We will go where you want. »… T1 Ch41
/… "I speak to you as to my soul, your face is my heart"… T2 Ch11 / After the untimely meeting between Jamie and Black Jack Randall in Versailles: Claire knows that revenge and duel are inevitable, Jamie can only kill… "- Please, Jamie! Just wait a year, no more! Randall's child will be conceived next December after, whatever. But I'm begging you, Jamie, do it for me ...
Wait a little longer! …… - You owe me your life, Jamie. Not once, but twice. I saved you from the hanging in Wentworth, and the fever in the Abbey. You owe me a life, Jamie!… - A year, no more, were his only words. Thereupon he resumed his walk. Arrived at the end of the corridor, he suddenly gained momentum and sent his right fist smashing against the stained glass…. … He stopped me with a hand on mine. I feared he would push me away, which he did, but the better to turn to me. The room was gradually filling with light and he stared into my eyes for a long time - It's crazy how much I can love you, he whispered at last. He kissed me, preventing me from answering him and taking one of my breasts in his bruised hand, he slipped between my thighs. "
/ Master Raymond says it to Claire in another way: blue for Claire the healer and red for Jamie the warrior. This is what they are and will remain for the rest of their lives. T2 Ch25
/… Claire: “to him I had given nothing but myself”… T3 Ch35… Jamie:
"The little that I have is yours" ... T3 Ch25
/… "And then…" he whispered, "regain that power. Be free to say it all and do everything, and know it's right. "Say I love you and mean it with all your heart," I added softly in the darkness. "Yes," he replied, barely audible. “To be able to say it.”…… But here, he said in a barely audible voice, lying in the dark with you… I have no name. Finally. I lifted my face to his and inhaled. his warmth between my parted lips. - I love you, I whispered. ”… T3Ch 37“ What's in a name? ”(missing passage translated)
/… Claire: “My home is you”… “She is my home”… T7-1 Ch9
Physical violence / emotional overflow / come together and exist only with the other, while keeping their individuality / each one step into the other's world:
Situation already cited by Fany Alice at the time of the reunion after the death of
Faith, Jamie learns that Claire slept with the king to free him:
/… "- You want me to punish you? he said softly. His fist squeezed me tighter and I unconsciously tried to withdraw my wrist. He didn't let go. On the contrary, he pulled me against him with a sudden gesture. I was shaking like a leaf and goose bumps ruffled all the hairs on my body. - Yes, I articulated painfully. His expression was unfathomable. Without taking his eyes off me, he stretched out his free hand behind him, felt the rock gropingly until his fingers closed on a tuft of nettles that he tore off…… - I already beat you once, Sassenach, and you threatened to empty my insides with my own knife. Now are you asking me to whip you with nettles? So you attach so much importance to my pride as a wounded male? - Yes perfectly ! I cried. I stood up abruptly, grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him fiercely and awkwardly. After a first movement of surprise, he hugged me, and his mouth responded to mine. He laid me down on the stone, crushing me with his weight, and held my hands to the ground. - Okay, he whispered. Since that's what you want, I'll punish you. With a violent thrust, he parted my thighs. I opened up to him, consenting, and greeted him with delight. - There will never, never be someone other than me! he whispered. Look at me ! Look at me, Claire! He took my head in his hands, forcing me to look him in the eye. - Never ! he repeated. Because you are mine. You are my wife, my heart ... Her body against mine was pinning me to the ground, but the contact of our bodies pushed me towards him, asking for more, always more. - ... my soul, he finished in a groan "...T2 Ch29
/… "Making love with her was sometimes tender, sometimes a test of strength, but taking her when she was a little gray was always a particular delight. »… T5 Ch
/ “I don't have a name” T3 Ch37: see extract above.
/ Violence of Jamie and that of Claire: "I am a bully" T3 Ch27: see extract above.
/ Violence and tenderness symbolized by two sharp blades, the surgeon's knife and the warrior's sword, it's sexual:… “Well, I would say that a surgeon tries to heal… by means of a knife. He looked dubiously. “A beautiful contradiction, that; but that suits you well, Sassenach. " " Is that so ? I asked, amazed…… aye, you are a knife, come to think of it. With a well-crafted scabbard, and the most handsome of all, Sassenach "- he traced the edge of my lips with his finger, bringing up a smile -" but inside it's hardened steel ... and with a dangerous edge, I think ”. “Dangerous? I asked, surprised. "Not heartless, that's not what I meant," he reassured me. His eyes remained fixed on my face, attentive and curious. A smile brushed his lips. “No, you're never heartless. But you can be ruthlessly strong, Sassenach, if necessary. ". I smirked wryly. “It's true,” I say. "I had already noticed it in your house, you know?" Her voice had softened and her grip on my hand tightened. "But now I think that ability is much more present in you than when you were younger." You have often used it, am I wrong? I suddenly understood why he saw so clearly what Frank had never seen. "You too," I tell him. “You needed it. Often. Unconsciously, my fingers brushed the scar that crossed his middle finger, twisting his knuckles. He nodded. "I asked myself the question," he added, so low I barely heard him. “I have often wondered if I could use this sharp blade, and be able to put it back in the scabbard. For I have seen many men become cruel, and their fine steel deteriorate into worthless iron. And I often wondered if I was the master of my soul, or if I had become a slave to my own blade. "I can't see you as a bully," I replied. I had said this lightly, but his face softened as he looked at me, and he replied seriously, "I know that, Sassenach." And it's the fact that you can't see me like this that gives me hope. Because I am - and I know that - and yet, maybe ... "He sat up, looking at me intently. “You have that strength in you. You have it, and your soul too. So maybe mine can be saved.
Sexual intimacy and openly confronting points of view towards an acceptable compromise:
/ The hunt for Stephen Bonnet initially shows divergent points of view, Claire would like to forget him, Jamie wants to find him in order to kill him:… «- Jamie, please. Leave him alone. He put his hand on mine, squeezing it lightly, which didn't reassure me. “Don't worry, Sassenach… I questioned everyone during the rally, people from both Halifax and Charleston. No one heard of his presence throughout the colony. So much the better. It was a bright spot, but it also meant that Jamie had been stalking Bonnet assiduously for quite some time. Moreover, it had not escaped me that he skilfully avoided promising me that his investigation would be stopped. "Leave him alone," I repeated softly, supporting his gaze. We will have enough problems in the future, we don't need to add more. He had drawn me towards him the better to prevent me from interrupting him. I felt his power where his body touched mine, in his arm under my hand, in his thigh against mine. The hardness of his bones and the fire of his mind shrouded in the steel shell of his determination could make Jamie, thrown at a target, a deadly projectile. His eyes were riveted on mine, relentless… - You say it's your business. In any case, I make it my business. Are you with me or not? My icy blood froze in my veins, forming crystals of panic. Cursed be it! He was determined. He had only one reason and only one for wanting to find Stephen Bonnet ... I pivoted on my heels, dragging him into my movement, so that we found ourselves side by side, facing the fire. Looks fascinated, Brianna, Marsali and the Bugs listened to Fergus, who was telling them a story, his face laughing. Jemmy looked at us over his mother's shoulder, eyes wide and curious. - They are your business, I said in a voice trembling with emotion. As much as mine. Do you think Stephen Bonnet hasn't hurt them enough already? That he hasn't hurt us enough? - Yes, too many. He hugged me. I could feel the warmth of her body through her clothes, but her voice was as cold as the rain. Fergus' gaze fell on us. He gave us a warm smile and then resumed his story. In his eyes, we were probably a couple sharing a brief moment of intimacy, our heads tilted towards each other. "I let him go once," Jamie said softly. You know all the evil that followed. Would you like me to leave him in the wild knowing who he is? Knowing that I was the one who freed him to spread terror? It's like releasing a rabid dog, Sassenach. This is not what you want, is it? His hand was hard, his fingers icy. - You freed him once, but the Crown caught up with him. If he's free today, it's not your fault! - Maybe, but it is my duty to lock him up again, if I can. - Your duty is to protect your family! He took my chin in his hand and cocked his head, his eyes searching mine. - Do you think I'm capable of endangering her? I stiffened, resisting as long as possible, then my shoulders fell, and I lowered my eyelids, resigned. I took a long breath, shaking. I had not yet fully surrendered. »… Of course she will let him. T5 Ch10
/ In the S4 E11 series Claire tries to make Jamie understand why she didn't tell that it was Stephen Bonnet who raped Brianna: “I'm sorry… I never imagined hiding such a secret from you, until 'to Brianna… - I understand… I love you both so much, believe me. Come here. - I'm sorry. - I am sorry. "And the sequel in T4 Ch53" - Jamie, I whispered. I'm cold, warm me up, please. He took me with a silent voracity which is less due to a desire too long repressed than to despair. I only sought to comfort him, not thinking of my own pleasure, but his eager caresses brought forth within me a spring rising from unsuspected depths, and I opened myself to him, seized with a need as blind and desperate as his. We clung to the to each other, trembling, unable to look us in the eyes, unable to let go. "..." Reproaches "
/ Later, at Jocasta's wedding in River Run, Claire is going to help Jamie find him, using the smuggler dandy Philip Wylie. Very well represented in the S5 E6 series
No couple is harmonious from the start and they can grow out of their differences.
Indeed, following this difficult start to the marriage which started badly, each one succeeded "in accommodating the other's request without renouncing oneself". Claire and Jamie are complementary and need each other. They succeeded in building a harmonious, passionate and lasting relationship.
Diana Gabaldon said the saga was about "a marriage" through time. T1 "construction of the life of a couple
/… "- A good wife is more valuable than pearls," he said with a big smile. Come on over there, my nighean donn. He pulled me to him and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and felt the trembling of his tired muscles, the power in him that kept him upright no matter how exhausted he was. We stayed like that for a long time, my cheek against his chest and hers against my hair, drawing our strength from each other, from being husband and wife. »… T8-2 Ch145« You know it »