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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
Chapter 4: South Carolina
Explanation and Analysis—Flailing Gertrude:
Ominous foreshadowing takes place in the novel’s South Carolina chapter. During a dance night organized by the dormitories, Cora witnesses a sudden outburst from one of the women:
The woman ran through the green near the schoolhouse. She was in her twenties, of slender build, and her hair stuck up wildly. Her blouse was open to her navel, revealing her breasts. For an instant, Cora was back on Randall and about to be educated in another atrocity.
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Chapter 6: North Carolina
Explanation and Analysis—Night Riders:
Another instance of uneasy foreshadowing takes place in the novel’s North Carolina chapter, while Cora tucks herself in Martin and Ethel’s attic and witnesses Louisa’s hanging at the town park:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The lanky boy bobbed his head. His youth and slight frame reminded Cora of the engineer of her last train trip, inducted by circumstance into the work of men. His freckled skin was lighter-hued, but they shared the same fragile eagerness. Born the same day, perhaps, then steered by codes and circumstances to serve disparate agencies.
"It’s not every rider who makes a catch his first week out," Jamison said. "Let’s see what young Richard has for us."
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