Voyager
Diana Gabaldon
Copyright 1994

Chapter 45: Mr. Willoughby's Tale


As the sea voyage continues, the men begin to tell stories of their homes. Maitland, the cabin boy, asks Mr. Willoughby why he left China. With Jamie translating for him, Mr. Willoughby explains that he was born in Pekin and was taken under the wing of Wu-Xien, a Mandarin of the Imperial household. Mr. W. was a gifted writer and poet whose work was noticed by Wan-Mei, the emperor's Second Wife, a very powerful woman who requested that Mr. W. become part of her household. This was a most estimable honor that would lead to fame and fortune, but came with a precious price, his manhood. All servants within the Imperial Household who are servants to the royal wives must be eunuchs. Although a great dishonor to refuse the Emperor's offer, Mr. W. nonetheless fled his destiny on the Night of Lanterns, a popular festival, dressed as a traveler to maintain his anonymity – “Fleeing nameless, to the sound of great applause.” Yi Tien Cho's escape was almost thwarted when a servant recognized his long fingernails, symbols that he was not obliged to work with his nails, and was forced to destroy his nails and tear out the nail on his little finger, which had a golden da zi inlaid in it.

YTC life changed instantly as he stole clothing and food and fled with a a group of traveling apothecaries on their way to a physicians' fair near the coast. Upon reaching the coast he made his way to the waterfront and picked the ship with the most barbarous looking men to take him far away. He chose the Serafina, which was bound for Edinburgh, and thus became an exile. He has lost everything – his honor, power, livelihood and country – and has “come to a country of women coarse and rank as bears.” The Scottish seamen are sympathetic to Mr. W.'s plight until he begins to insult the women of Europe, calling them “creatures of no grace, no learning, ignorant, bad-smelling . . . like dogs.” Jamie is able to appease the men, but Fergus threatens to kill Mr. W. if he makes any derogatory remarks about European women. Poor Mr. W. ends this scene by contemplating his manhood and debating whether he made the right decision.

Fergus and Marsali add some humor to Mr. W.'s tale, which is actually quite a sad tale. He is exiled forever and has disgraced his family just to find himself ridiculed and tormented by all those he meets in Europe, with the exception of Jamie who understands what it feels like to be an outcast. Towards the end of his tale, Mr. W. is referred to by his Chinese name, Yi Tien Cho. Now that he is free to use his true name and be what he wants to be, he loses his identity by becoming Mr. Willoughby, a name given to him by Jamie. Do you see signs of animosity at this point, aside from that aimed towards women? What must he have thought of outspoken Claire, Jamie's First Wife?

Mr. W's tale is certainly full of irony and woe. He needed to flee far enough to escape the Mandarin, but he fled beyond the knowledge of his culture. He fled to protect his manhood, but is unwilling to have relations with the women now available to him. When he feels free to tell his tale, he goes too far by insulting the women whom his listeners hold dear. He even resents Jamie for loss of his identity by changing his name, even though Jamie saved his life. Yes, when his tongue is loosened with alcohol, he is outspoken.

Your question about Claire is interesting. She certainly fits in his general category of women. As Jamie's "first wife". he presumably has no romantic interest in her. So, he may not feel the same frustration that she is unattractive. Her interest in medicine, her general intelligence, and her respect for him as a person may endear her to him?

I just googled Chinese Night of Lanterns and found this with some description and pics. Pretty.
http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/L ... stival.htm

Yes, Marsali's question about what a eunuch is and Fergus' response was comic relief during a very sad story. But, I actually kind of wished he had more respect for her to maybe say 'I'll explain later' rather than 'you'll never need to know.'

It was interesting because Mr. W. was definitely getting some sympathy and understanding from everyone in a way he seldom does. But, he messed it up by his nasty comments about European women. I don't think calling the sailors on the Serafina barbarians bothered the men much, but he should have known that insulting their women - especially with Claire and Marsali present - was not going to win him any friendship. And, perhaps that is not what he's looking for, but a little understanding from the others wouldn't be a bad thing.

It's a good question what he thinks of outspoken Claire. He's always seemed to like her - he shot the guy at the brothel for bothering her and they have medical interests in common and she respects him in terms of that and his writing. But, he doesn't seem to exclude her when he insults European women.

This chapter definitely shows how isolated he is. He can't go home and doesn't really fit in where he is. Jamie is about the only one who has been kind to him or tried to help him (well, and those around Jamie like Claire and Fergus), even learning his language. He seems so depressed about his situation that perhaps he is being self-destructive, which would explain his insults about women.

ABL, thanks for the link to the Night of Lanterns festival. Reminds me of the lantern lighting scene from the Disney movie Tangled. A search for the "da zi" symbol did not call up a visual, but it was a character marking him as part of the Mandarin household (or Big Son). I have heard that a person's little finger is the most sensitive of all the digits and can only imagine the pain Mr. W. experienced to remove the nail and unbrand himself.

I agree that Mr. W. seems to respond kindly to Claire, but that may also be due to her status as Jamie's First Wife. She may have also had higher standards of hygiene given that she is from the 20th century.

The parallels between Mr. W and Claire are interesting. Both are Outlanders, in their own way. Exiled from their own cultures with, presumably, no way back. Forced to live among people who consider them "other", and tend to view them with mistrust. Having specialized skills or knowledge which on the one hand are valuable to those they encounter, but on the other hand set them further apart and make them objects of suspicion. Tolerated by those who might view them with suspicion specifically because of Jamie's patronage. And, of course, the healing arts which they possess, which are so alien to the world they now find themselves in.

Wow, Lisa! I hadn't thought about that at all, but you make a very compelling case for their similarities.

Mr. W. has found a comrade in Claire. I wonder if it is this unspoken bond between them that leads him to come to her rescue on more than one occasion. Another similarity between the two is the fact that their natural talents are linked to their hands -- Mr. W. composes with them and Claire uses them to heal.