Jamie uses a surprising method to submit his resignation in Outlander season 7, episode 15, but his bloody message is actually more meaningful than it seems. In previous episodes, Jamie was made brigadier general by none other than George Washington, which meant he would lead a battalion in the Battle of Monmouth. Of course, this wasn’t Jamie’s first time leading men in war, and he managed to come out of the other end unscathed. However, when Claire was shot at the field hospital, Jamie was left enraged with the Continental Army and desperate to see his wife survive.
Shortly after Claire was shot and brought into the hospital in Outlander season 7, episode 15, “Written in My Own Heart’s Blood,” a messenger arrived from General Lee requesting that Jamie report to him immediately. General Lee was the man who ordered the battalion to retreat while in a panic, leaving George Washington furious and dependent entirely on Jamie. The idea that Lee would demand Jamie’s presence while Claire lay dying enraged Jamie. So, he used Claire’s blood to write a message on the messenger’s back: “Sir, I resign. J. Fraser.”
Jamie’s Message In Outlander Season 7 Pays Off The Episode Title
Jamie Wrote In His Own Heart’s Blood
The sight of Jamie’s bloody message on the messenger’s bare back was certainly impactful and dramatic. However, it went far beyond this. The title of Outlander season 7, episode 15, is “Written in My Own Heart’s Blood,” and that’s precisely what Jamie did. Claire is Jamie’s heart—his soulmate and the love of his life. So, when he used her blood to write his resignation, Jamie was using his “own heart’s blood” to sever his tie with the Continental Army.
Of course, this wasn’t directly called out in the Outlander episode. Jamie didn’t outright say that he was resigning with his own heart’s blood. However, this makes it all the more meaningful and poetic. The phrase and title “Written in My Own Heart’s Blood” is strange and confusing—though clearly romantic—on its own, but the moment Jamie does this, the meaning becomes perfectly clear. Though poetic and symbolic, the title becomes literal at this moment. To drive Jamie’s rage home, he scribed it out in the blood of the woman he loves while she herself lay dying.
Written In My Own Heart’s Blood Is Also The Title Of The 8th Outlander Book
The Outlander TV Show Made Some Impactful Changes
The poetic title of Outlander season 7, episode 15, wasn’t entirely unique to the series. Written in My Own Heart’s Blood is the title of the eighth book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander book series. This is the novel in which the Battle of Monmouth plays out, and just like in Starz’s version of events, Claire ends up shot when she is caught in the crossfire between the Continental and British armies. Then, just as in Outlander season 7, episode 15, Jamie used his wife’s blood to submit his resignation, again bringing crystal clear meaning to the otherwise strange book title.
Rather than forcing the messenger to strip down and write the bloody message on his back, Jamie wrote his resignation in blood on the boy’s jacket.
Though essentially the same, Jamie’s big moment in the “Written in My Own Heart’s Blood” episode compared to the Written in My Own Heart’s Blood book had some differences. Rather than forcing the messenger to strip down and write the bloody message on his back, Jamie wrote his resignation in blood on the boy’s jacket. While the result is more or less the same, it’s far more interesting to imagine the messenger returning to General Lee and showing him his dramatically bloody back rather than handing over his jacket.
Why Jamie Resigned This Way In Outlander Season 7 Explained
Jamie Sent A Meaningful Message
Jamie has always had a flare for the dramatics, but his decision to write his resignation in his wife’s blood certainly takes the cake. He could have just told the messenger to tell General Lee where he could stick his summons—and that wouldn’t have been at all out of character. However, Jamie sent the cowardly general a far more layered and complex message. Up to this point, Jamie had played the perfect soldier. He believed in American freedom and felt that the risks he was taking truly meant something. However, Jamie had never intended to risk Claire’s life.
By writing his message in Claire’s—his heart’s—blood, Jamie was demonstrating how gravely serious he was. He would risk his life repeatedly for a cause he believed in, but nothing was more precious to Jamie than his wife. If the Continental Army placed Claire in danger, and if men like Lee would demand that he abandon his wife for the sake of duty, then Jamie wanted nothing to do with it. Jamie’s methods weren’t just poetic in Outlander season 7. He was making as strong a statement as he possibly could about his love and dedication to Claire.