Outlander Thoughts. Maybe Roger is underappraciated because he is over shadowed

 

Lately, I have been rereading the Outlander series and am caught up to the TV show. The Fiery Cross.

    There are those who have read the books and watched the show, who might wonder why I chose to write about Roger Wakefield/Mckenzie specifically.

    Mostly because there seems to be a split of feelings about him. There are those that love him, especially since they found Richard Rankin to portray him. But for years, there have been a lot of people that dislike his character (at least in my circles). I have a friend that borrowed my books about a decade ago and she devoured them until book 5. Which is a bit slow, but that's not why she stopped. She stopped reading because she hated Roger and felt the book focused on him too much. I tried to get her to read more by telling her that he got hanged, but that didn't help. I waved Jamie and Claire in front of her, but no. She never picked up the books again because of Roger. Now when she saw Richard Rankin, she warmed to the character of the show a bit.

    As for me, I will admit that compared to the indomitable Jamie Fraser and the larger than life Dougal and the sassy smart Claire. And even Bri who I find to be spoiled and selfish at first, she can be charming.

This is what 49 looks like.

     Roger was a little Meh. He was more in his element in the 1960s I believe. But when he went back to the past he had trouble adjusting when the other 2 time travelers seemed to do fine.

    Then I thought about it. The others all have a leg up over him. Jamie Fraser is a manly Man. He grew up during that time. He is at ease among royalty and in the hills living off the land. He can hunt, build, fight, lead and charm people. Claire lived on archeological digs as kid and was a Nurse during WWI so she knows how to live primitively and can adapt to whatever is thrown her way. Now you might be like, What about Bri? She's a spoiled suburbanite American girl. She should struggle, too. Well, she would, but her adopted father taught her to hunt, fish, shoot and rough it. So--another leg up.

    Then there's Roger. A sweet sentimental twentieth century historian at home with books and singing. The whole reason he went back in time, unskilled and unprepared, was for love. He loved Bri and followed her to be with her and protect her. Surprisingly, he did ok for himself thanks to some knowledge of sailing and determination. And then, because of misunderstanding he gets the shit beat out of him and he gets sold to the Native Americans. Nobody talks about how he survived the journey and the "initiation" (He ran through a gauntlet of people beating him with clubs and he made it through--not an easy feat.)

    When he is procured back to the Frasers, he has no real skill but he is willing to try. He can't shoot well because he lacks binocular vision and his first instinct is not usually to brawl as he was raised a scholar. All of these things are looked down on. He does earn respect from others for being a beautiful singer, but Jamie can't appreciate it because he is tone deaf and that particular skill won't bring in crops or protect the "women". Then in book 5 (and the tv show) Roger is mistaken and hanged. It is only because Claire knows how to do a tracheotomy that he survives at all. But his throat is shot. The one thing he had. His one skill is gone. 

    I've heard people say that he sulked and bitched too much. They could understand the PTSD from being hanged, but what's the big deal. He's alive. He can talk (like he has gravel in his throat.) Why is he having an identity crisis?

    Because it was his thing. His calling. The only thing he was good at. Not just good but fantastic. Of course losing that would leave him bereft. He is aware that compared to the others, he sucks at living in that time. But when he had music, he could bring joy or help people grieve. He could fire men up before battles. Anyone who played D&D knows how powerful a Bard's voice can be. It is his weapon. It is his meal ticket. It is the thing that makes him feel part of the community. And it is gone. There is only Roger who can't do things as well as anyone else. Even his wife is more "manly" than him by those standards. 

    I'll stop at season/book 5 since the show is there at the moment. I know, there are 8 books out that continue the story and we get to see all the character's arcs including Roger's but in fairness of those who have only watched the show I will stop at 5.

    In any case, all the other characters are bigger than life. Even Young Ian has a big charismatic personality. And honestly can any man measure up to Jamie Fraser? He is one of my favorite book boyfriends. I could write a blog about why I love Jamie, but for today, I just wanted to give some props to poor Roger. With all those other epic characters around him and in a time period he is not trained for, he is going to be overshadowed and overlooked. His personality is rather meh.

    Thinking about it, I would not do as well as Claire or Bri. I'm not a doctor. I'm not an architect that builds useful things. I'm not an herbalist or farmer. I haven't cooked anything on an open fire but hot dogs and marshmallows. I'd be ok with basic sanitation and first aid, and I could maybe be a ladies maid with my skills as a hairdresser, but honestly I've never used an iron that heated on the stove and I would probably reenact the scene from Little Women where Jo burned off Meg's hair.

So--yeah. I'm not even a Historian so I wouldn't know all the little historical events to warn others about. Actually, if I got shot back in time, I think Roger would do better than me because of his knowledge and the fact that he is a tall muscled man that can do hard labor.

    I guess that about sums it up. If Roger hadn't got sucked into the Randall/Fraser mess. If he had never fallen head over heels in love with Brianna and if he had never went through the stones and had just stayed in his time, He would be a great catch.  He is a scholar and professor. He has some money and is skilled at singing and playing guitar and drum. He is Scottish with that lovely accent. He is handsome sporting a large physic, dark hair and glass green eyes. He is good humored and helpful. He is gallant and thoughtful. And he is patient and kind. All of these things are great things in the 20th and 21st century. 

    Love makes us do crazy things. It makes us go outside our comfort zone. It makes us question everything about ourselves. It makes us change whether we want to or not.