Previous
Foil
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
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Sounds in the Forest:
By the end of Chapter 4, Duncan is beginning to mistrust Magua (Le Renard Subtil), but he tries to stay calm as he insists that they stop to eat and rest. Cooper uses sound imagery both to emphasize Duncan's unease and to foreshadow the arrival of Chingachgook, Uncas, and Hawkeye in the nick of time:
“This is well,” continued Heyward; “and Le Renard will have strength and sight to find the path in the morning”; he paused, for sounds like the snapping of a dried stick, and the rustling of leaves, rose from the adjacent bushes, but recollecting himself instantly, he continued—“we must be moving before the sun is seen, or Montcalm may lie in our path, and shut us out from the fortress.”
Related Themes:
Chapter 25
Explanation and Analysis—Nothing But Roaring:
The epigraph to Chapter 25 is an allusion to Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, and it foreshadows a comedic revelation that takes place in the chapter:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Snug.—Have you the lion’s part written? Pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study. “Quince.—You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring.”
Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Related Themes:
Chapter 32
Explanation and Analysis—Dying Trees:
In Chapter 32, Uncas, Duncan, and Hawkeye are trying to sneak up on the Hurons when Hawkeye notices the dead trees along the riverbank. Cooper uses a simile to foreshadow the tragic end of the novel:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Everywhere along its banks were the moldering relics of dead trees, in all the stages of decay, from those that groaned on their tottering trunks to such as had recently been robbed of those rugged coats that so mysteriously contain their principle of life. A few long, low, and moss-covered piles were scattered among them, like the memorials of a former and long-departed generation.
Related Themes:
