Voyager: Part Seven

Home Again
Chapter 32: The Prodigal’s Return

© Diana Gabaldon 1994

Please discuss Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager ONLY in this thread. Thanks!



The SPOILER Thread can be found HERE



There is a natural apprehension about returning to Lallybroch for all concerned. Claire is worried how Jenny Murray will accept her return; young Ian is naturally scared of his parent’s wrath, and Jamie needs to rationalise his activities and his reasons for keeping young Ian with him in Edinburgh. It is not going to be an easy homecoming, much has changed, and the journey to Lallybroch is one of refection and trepidation.

Not sure of their reception the visitors are encouraged to be met by welcoming dogs and “wee Janet” who is embarrassed to meet auntie Claire, but has enough spirit to admonish young Ian for his disappearance, and warn him that he should make himself presentable before appearing before his parents – Jamie is encouraged to do likewise.

Jenny and Ian senior are waiting to welcome them, but Jenny’s natural curiosity is initially focused on Claire, ignoring Jamie -“It’s you, then, Claire?”.
The Murray’s seem pleased to welcome Claire back to Lallybroch, and whilst hospitality ensues, the conversation finally peters out, leaving an uncomfortable atmosphere filled with an unspoken undercurrent which Claire can’t decipher.

Taking the initiative Jamie announces that he has brought Ian home, and whilst acknowledging that Ian is a fine boy, Ian senior feels that young Ian should make his own representation. Ian is awkward before his parents, and unnerved by his mother’s gentleness, however, it is his father’s sternness which serves to emphasise the seriousness of the situation and tempers get heated – this is not the first time that Ian had run away and his parents are in despair at his cavalier attitude.

“I’m fair disgusted with ye, Ian and that’s the truth”. He jerked his head toward the doorway. “Go outside. I’ll see ye by the gate, presently.”


The adults left behind are tense, yet, Jamie feels he should defend the lad as much as he can, which incurs Jenny’s wrath and tempers flare once again with Jamie defending his smuggling activities as a means of keeping the Murray family financially viable – lots of heated arguments ensue but the problem with the necessity of Ian’s punishment lays heavy on Jamie’s conscience. He feels he cannot let the boy be punished without accepting some responsibility and thus taking some punishment himself, although he is horrified when Ian senior hands the whip to Jamie for him to undertake the punishment.

The chapter ends with a penitent Uncle Jamie apologising to his nephew Ian for subjecting him to danger in Edinburgh, and yet also acknowledges that punishment is due, and that one must punish the other.



I feel huge sympathy for the Murrays as they welcome home their errant son, brother and a sister-in-law they haven’t seen in 20 years.


• Was Ian senior right to pass the punishing of young Ian onto Jamie?
• What lesson do you think Jamie learned from this act?
• It strengthened the bond between young Ian and Jamie – they are alike in so many ways – but did Jamie deserve to be punished, after all he didn’t ask Ian to go to Edinburgh?


What are your thoughts on this homecoming ?

i'm not sure it was "right" to pass on the punishment, but I think it taught both Jamie and Young Ian a lesson. Young Ian clearly loves Jamie and looks up to him. He wouldn't want to see any harm come to Jamie, nor would he want punishment associated with his favorite uncle. So in a way, it was a clever move on the part of Ian senior.

I think Jamie regretted keeping young Ian at Edinburgh. Jamie didn't ask young Ian to come, but he didn't tell him to go home, either. Jamie gave him jobs to do and exposed him to a pretty dangerous lifestyle. I think Jamie deserved to be punished. He wouldn't have asked Ian to do it if he (Jamie) didn't regret his actions. Further, Young Ian knows now how hard it is to punish, and maybe he'll take that on as a lesson for the future.

I think elder Ian realizes that his whipping Young Ian before didn't prevent a repeat of his running away, so he was looking for some way to make more of an impression on his son. Plus, Jamie has said more than once that Young Ian is like a son, so I think he felt that it might help them both for Jamie to have to play the role of disciplinarian rather than his usual fun uncle role. And, I think it made a significant impression on them both (as well as providing some amusement to the three others watching from the window). I liked that Ian was so honest about his usual punishments, too.

Jamie should have sent Ian home from Edinburgh immediately, but barring that (if for some reason he didn't want him to travel alone r something), he absolutely should have written to Jenny and Ian to say he was there and OK. What a frightening time for parents not knowing where he was or if he was well. I definitely feel for them. I was a little surprised at how gentle Jenny was - I understand how glad she was to have him back safe, but there is also her temper to consider - and how stern Ian was - although after what his son said before he left and knowing he headed home early in the morning to avoid seeing him and Jamie again, I wasn't quite as taken aback. We rarely see Ian as the angrier, sterner one of the pair since he's so often the calm around the Fraser storm.

I was paying careful attention to what was said and unsaid knowing what revelation will be coming out soon. In an earlier read, it just seemed like general tension, but it's interesting to look at the more specific looks between people and statements (or cut off statements), knowing what it is they are all concealing at this point.

Oh, and I also liked Ian's attempts to give them privacy and his little cough to let them know he was there as they approached Lallybroch. And, young Janet's defying her parents to meet Ian before he arrived at the house and get him cleaned up.

The thing that struck me about this chapter is that we get to see it from Claire's POV without knowing any of the history for the past 20 years. It's obvious that Ian has been running away towards Jamie fairly frequently and it's also obvious that his parents have disciplined him a number of times. It's also obvious that they are angry towards Jamie and his not letting them know about YIan and Ian strikes the perfect solution knowing that Jamie doesn't know how it feels to punish someone you love in order to deter them from dangerous behaviors. But Jamie, being Jamie, can't just meet out punishment...ohh noooo. He has to turn around and have himself punished in return. And, this, in the end, is what will really motivate Y-Ian to stop this behavior so that neither one of them has to hurt each other again.

ABL, as for Jenny being relatively mild towards Y-Ian, I think she is storing that up to dump onto her brother.

I believe Jamie did feel some remorse over his actions regarding YIan, not sending him home right away, not notifying Jenny & Ian, etc. But, I think part of why Jamie had YIan punish him in return was not just to motivate YIan to behave, but also to demonstrate to YIan that he was sorry that YIan was bearing such a load of anger from his parents, when if he (Jamie) had done his duty as YI's uncle, some of this could have been avoided.

Of course, I had to also chuckle when I read this scene. Jamie's leadership skills in action! It worked for him before Culloden -- and in fact, probably made his men respect him all the more, seeing their leader step up and take a punishment for putting them in danger. What a way to win their loyalty, being willing to take a whipping as well as dish one out! I'd expect a similar outcome with YI -- by showing YI that he's fair, that he steps up when he's culpable, and that he's not "above" such punishment, I'm sure Jamie is (intentionally or not) ensuring that YI will continue to hero-worship him and be loyal to him.

I wonder if Claire had the slightest clue that there was any other reason for the tension and anger in the room. She's such a smart, perceptive woman. I suppose she probably attributed Jenny's reticence to the fact that her cover story for her long absence was so flimsy. Still, you can just feel the secrets boiling below the surface. What an interesting homecoming!