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Well stated, Brizo. I really enjoyed Mr. Willoughby's character and the mystery surrounding him. How can we forget Jamie interpreting his story for the other men while they were on the ship? I really think his alcoholism was a coping mechanism. I saw him as another tortured soul, very much like Jamie, and race to me never entered the equation. I'm only on book 4 (and barely started), but I'm very curious where DG will take his particular storyline.
Thanks for this, Brizo! It's not so much that I *only* saw the negatives in his portrayal, but only that (to me), the stereotypes present and the language used to refer to him were not outweighed by the positives. I think the similarities between Jamie and Mr. Willoughby are something that Jamie sees more than Willoughby does, but at the same time I don't think Jamie quite makes the leap to seeing Willoughby as an *equal* -- he refers to Willoughby more as a child than he would an equal (strikingly different from his treatment of Ishmael), and this is what ultimately drives Willoughby away (for the record, I think this is COMPLETELY in keeping with Jamie's innate kindness coupled with the worldview he was raised in. I like this element of Jamie). I'm bothered more by Claire -- traveling to the 18th century out of Civil Rights Era America, I feel Claire ought to know better (particularly as the modern audience's window into the historical time period). To play devil's advocate and contend that Claire is a fallible human being and just as vulnerable to racial insensitivity as the next person, I still think Diana Gabaldon fell short of her burden as the author to give every character an equal humanity -- Willoughby doesn't quite make it.
It's entirely possible that I was so incensed by the initial negatives of the character that I was blinded to his subsequent development (and Claire's subsequent development relative to him). It's also entirely possible it was too little too late. I'll certainly be reading it again, either way.
*To expand upon what I say about Jamie in the top paragraph: the element I specifically like about Jamie is that he goes into the situation with the best of intentions and doesn't succeed. It's a very human fallibility.
I appreciate this point, too. Willoughby and his backstory were effectively used to provide depth to Jamie's story and I liked that, too. I agree with Abby, though, that this perhaps could have been done effectively without being quite so cavalier about the ways in which race & ethnicity informed the Willoughby character. If I ever re-read, I'll be wanting to keep a sharp eye out for hints or clues that I missed as to his real feelings earlier on.
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Becky ♡The Bookworm♡
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Dec 31, 2014 03:39AM
Well stated, Brizo. I really enjoyed Mr. Willoughby's character and the mystery surrounding him. How can we forget Jamie interpreting his story for the other men while they were on the ship? I really think his alcoholism was a coping mechanism. I saw him as another tortured soul, very much like Jamie, and race to me never entered the equation. I'm only on book 4 (and barely started), but I'm very curious where DG will take his particular storyline.
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Thanks for this, Brizo! It's not so much that I *only* saw the negatives in his portrayal, but only that (to me), the stereotypes present and the language used to refer to him were not outweighed by the positives. I think the similarities between Jamie and Mr. Willoughby are something that Jamie sees more than Willoughby does, but at the same time I don't think Jamie quite makes the leap to seeing Willoughby as an *equal* -- he refers to Willoughby more as a child than he would an equal (strikingly different from his treatment of Ishmael), and this is what ultimately drives Willoughby away (for the record, I think this is COMPLETELY in keeping with Jamie's innate kindness coupled with the worldview he was raised in. I like this element of Jamie). I'm bothered more by Claire -- traveling to the 18th century out of Civil Rights Era America, I feel Claire ought to know better (particularly as the modern audience's window into the historical time period). To play devil's advocate and contend that Claire is a fallible human being and just as vulnerable to racial insensitivity as the next person, I still think Diana Gabaldon fell short of her burden as the author to give every character an equal humanity -- Willoughby doesn't quite make it. It's entirely possible that I was so incensed by the initial negatives of the character that I was blinded to his subsequent development (and Claire's subsequent development relative to him). It's also entirely possible it was too little too late. I'll certainly be reading it again, either way.
*To expand upon what I say about Jamie in the top paragraph: the element I specifically like about Jamie is that he goes into the situation with the best of intentions and doesn't succeed. It's a very human fallibility.
I appreciate this point, too. Willoughby and his backstory were effectively used to provide depth to Jamie's story and I liked that, too. I agree with Abby, though, that this perhaps could have been done effectively without being quite so cavalier about the ways in which race & ethnicity informed the Willoughby character. If I ever re-read, I'll be wanting to keep a sharp eye out for hints or clues that I missed as to his real feelings earlier on.
