Written in My Own Heart's Blood

Claire is the main protagonist in the novel and the only narrator who is portrayed in a first-person limited perspective. She is characterized primarily through indirect characterization—her thoughts and actions, as well as what other characters say about her. An anachronism in colonial America, Claire is a time-traveling surgeon from the 20th century whose utter devotion to both her husband Jamie and her medical calling creates a dichotomy between duty and love. She is a wise woman archetype, and her journey follows the archetypical path towards forgiveness, compassion, acceptance, and love. Defined by her acerbic wit, loyalty, and stubbornness, Claire’s 20th-century perspective informs her encounters in colonial America; she is assertive towards men, a battle surgeon, and a woman who enthusiastically embraces her sexuality. These attributes are viewed as either abrasive or refreshing to the men who encounter her in the course of her duty. Claire’s defining physical characteristic is her hair; when it isn’t bound tightly, it is wild and curly, a light golden brown with a silver streak around her hairline. When she is agitated or working, her hair comes loose and creates a wild nimbus around her head and is an indicator of her