A Breath of Snow and Ashes

Sexual violence recurs many times in the novel as a way for men to exert their power over strong female characters and, in one case, a strong male character. The strongest female characters with the most modern sensibilities are most frequently the victims, complicating the “modern,” independent characters by subjecting them to the role of the damsel in distress and making them reliant on their husbands. First, Claire, who is headstrong, intelligent, and has a career of sorts (very unusual for a woman in the 18th century), is victimized by bandits. The first bandit to approach her isn’t successful in raping her, but the second is. This bandit, who is never named, cries for his dead wife. Gabaldon chooses to write the bandit this way to complicate Claire’s feelings for the character and to generate an uncomfortable empathy: while the readers may wish to outright villainize the bandit, we feel that the rape is coming from a place of personal pain. Claire, too, doesn’t seem to fight for herself during the capture, but rather leaves strands of her hair knowing that Jamie will pursue her. The character succumbs to the part of damsel in distress.

Brianna, having been raped previously by Bonnet, and nearly victimized by Bonnet again in this novel, parallels Claire’s encounter. She is also a strong, modern woman, but she relies on Roger to save her from captivity. She also empathizes with her captor, reassuring him when he has a dream that he drowns in the sea and rescuing him from a slow, painful death at the end of the novel. Again, Gabaldon is complicating her villainous character for realism and to discomfit the reader. After all, villains in real life are rarely without positive qualities, and dealing with these villains presents complex moral quandaries.

Claire and Brianna’s independence from their husbands, due to the more feminist leanings of the period they belong to, is a point of contention for both Roger and Jamie, though Roger is also from the 20th century. Jamie mentions in Chapter 47, after Claire has seen Christie beating Malva with a switch, that he could hit Claire with a belt again, as he had done before. Claire admits internally that she is his property: “I was, for the most part, able to ignore the fact that I was legally his property. That didn’t alter the fact that it was a fact—and he knew it” (601). This quote indicates that Jamie relishes the power he holds over Claire, though he doesn’t use it to ill effect.

Roger, too, seems to prefer Brianna to be dependent on him. He indicates as much when Brianna asks him why he doesn’t help her, and he responds that she doesn’t seem to need his help. It’s only when Brianna is in the role of damsel in distress that Roger turns his attention away from the ministry and back to his wife.

Another main character who experiences sexual violence is Jamie. He empathizes with his wife after her rape, as he was raped by his nemesis Randall while he was imprisoned. Just as the incident causes Claire to have PTSD-like symptoms, so Jamie experiences flashbacks concerning the violence.

Near the end of the novel, we learn that Malva was raped by her half-brother Allan for much of her life, resulting in her pregnancy. Fears of rape resulting in pregnancy permeate the novel, as Claire and Jamie fear that her rape will result in a pregnancy, and Breanna and Roger fear that Jem may be Bonnet’s child. A child by a character’s rapist would be a continuation of the defilement—not only did the rapist force themselves on the victim for the attack, but their villainy might have long-term consequences, with the victim having to carry, and possibly raise, the rapist’s child. Much like PTSD, a child as the result of rape could be a constant reminder of the attack and could be another source of male control. This is implied when Bonnet questions Jem on his parentage—if he were Jem’s father, he could use this connection to control the family and his “son.”