Dragonfly in Amber

Why does Claire constantly check to see if Frank’s wedding ring continues to exist in the 1740s? Why is Frank’s ring important to Claire? How does Jamie feel about Claire’s concern when it comes to Frank and his wedding ring?

Discuss why Jack is such a big part of Jamie’s thoughts and emotions, and how his interactions with Jack influence his thoughts and behaviors in this novel. How does Jamie’s actions around Jack change as the novel progresses? What might be the cause of this change in behavior?

Discuss the novel’s theme The Trauma of Sexual Assault and explore how sexual assault propels the plot and changes the relationships of the characters within the novel. Use passages from the text to compare how society’s attitudes toward sex and sexual assault were different in the 1700s and how they are today.

5. Compare the advancements in medicine in 1948 as compared to the limits of medicine in 1744. What might medical personnel have done differently in 1948 to help Claire deliver Brianna safely?

Why is Charles beloved in 1968 Scotland for his attempt to restore the Stuart line? If modern people knew what Claire knows of Charles’s leadership skills, would their opinion of him change? Why is truth sometimes altered when recording history?

When it is discovered that Jack Randall is still alive and Claire interacts with him, she sees a different side of him. Discuss Jack’s character and how it changes. Does Jack ever truly redeem himself? Why or why not? How do Jamie’s interactions with Jack change as the novel progresses? What might be the cause of this? Use passages from the text to support your answer.

Claire meets a seer who is struggling with the knowledge she has and whether she should tell the person involved, introducing the novel’s theme of The Wisdom of Sharing Knowledge. Claire thinks back on this moment several times as she struggles herself with knowledge, worried she might cause someone harm. Discuss how certain knowledge might be detrimental to a person and what might determine whether a person should be told something potentially harmful. Apply your argument to passages from the novel and explain.

How does Jamie’s motivation of honor impact him throughout the narrative? Why is it important to Jamie? How have other characters in the novel been affected or motivated by theirs and other characters’ understanding of honor?