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Definition of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Key Examples in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Book 1, Chapter 1: Ghetto Nerd at the End of the World (1974-1987)
Explanation and Analysis—Oscar's Death:
Oscar’s death is explicitly foreshadowed by the title of the novel, “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” For one thing, the word “brief” implies that Oscar died young. Additionally, the conclusive use of the word “life” implies that Oscar had already died by the time that Yunior wrote the account. Because Yunior and Oscar are close friends and the same age, this implies that Oscar dies at a young age during the novel.
Additionally, Yunior references Oscar dying through flashes to the future. In Chapter 1, Yunior mentions Oscar’s tombstone when explaining Lola’s nickname for him:
That’s what she called him whenever she was feeling tender or wronged. Mister. Later she’d want to put that on his gravestone but no one would let her, not even me.
Related Themes:
Book 1, Chapter 2: Wildwood (1982-1985)
Explanation and Analysis—Premonitions:
Oscar and his sister Lola both experience strong premonitions that something is wrong at different times in the novel. In both cases, these premonitions come true. Lola’s premonitions often have to do with her family’s curse—she worries that she’ll be a victim, too. In Chapter 2, which Lola narrates, she writes:
Unlock with LitCharts A+And that's when it hit with the force of a hurricane. The feeling. I stood straight up, the way my mother always wanted me to stand up. My abuela was sitting there, forlorn, trying to cobble together the right words and I could not move or breathe. I felt like I always did at the last seconds of a race, when I was sure that I was going to explode. She was about to say something and I was waiting for whatever she was going to tell me. I was waiting to begin.
Related Themes:
Book 2, Chapter 6: Land of the Lost (1992-1995)
Explanation and Analysis—Premonitions:
Oscar and his sister Lola both experience strong premonitions that something is wrong at different times in the novel. In both cases, these premonitions come true. Lola’s premonitions often have to do with her family’s curse—she worries that she’ll be a victim, too. In Chapter 2, which Lola narrates, she writes:
Unlock with LitCharts A+And that's when it hit with the force of a hurricane. The feeling. I stood straight up, the way my mother always wanted me to stand up. My abuela was sitting there, forlorn, trying to cobble together the right words and I could not move or breathe. I felt like I always did at the last seconds of a race, when I was sure that I was going to explode. She was about to say something and I was waiting for whatever she was going to tell me. I was waiting to begin.
Related Themes:
