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Foreshadowing

By Cindy Grigg

Have you ever read a book in which you knew how the book was going to end way before you reached the
conclusion? Good literature does more than simply tell a good story. In some of the best works of literature, the
author uses foreshadowing to drop hints.

Foreshadowing is an author's use of hints or clues to suggest events to come in the story. Foreshadowing
usually takes the form of incidents that seem to be unimportant at first but take on added significance later. They
contribute to the overall effect and meaning of the work.

Not all foreshadowing is obvious. Sometimes future events are hinted at through the characters' dialogue,
descriptions, the setting, or the attitudes or reactions of the characters.

In O. Henry's short story "After Twenty Years," a policeman on patrol sees a man leaning in the doorway of a
closed store. The man explains to the policeman that he is waiting for his old friend Jimmy Wells. Twenty years
ago, the two men agreed to meet at this spot. The man is sure his friend will meet him. The policeman walks
away, and twenty minutes later, a tall man walks up to the store and greets the waiting man. Incredibly happy to
see his old friend again, the man takes his friend's arm and walks up the street with him. Soon he realizes that the
tall man is not his friend Jimmy. He is then arrested by the tall man. The tall man gives him a note from Jimmy.
The note said that Jimmy had been at the appointment place on time but recognized his friend's face from a
wanted poster from the Chicago police. Since Jimmy had not wanted to arrest his old friend, he found another
policeman to do it for him.

Foreshadowing often serves two purposes. It builds suspense by raising questions that encourage the reader to
go on and find out more about the event that is being foreshadowed. Foreshadowing is also a means of making a
narrative more believable by partially preparing the reader for events that are to follow.

The setting is used to set the tone of the story and sometimes to foreshadow the ending. In the story "After
Twenty Years," it's dark, cold, and somewhat late at night. The story says, "The time was barely 10 o'clock at
night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the streets. The vicinity was
one that kept early hours." Only two men were on the street at that time that night.

When the policeman "with his stalwart form" approaches the man lurking in the dark, the man speaks quickly.
The light from his match shows a pale face with keen eyes, a scar near the eyebrow, and a scarf pin with a large
diamond, "oddly set." He also carries an expensive watch, also set with diamonds. The pale face, keen eyes, and
the scar are all hints as to the man's past.

The contrast between the two men hint at obvious differences in character. The policeman in uniform carries
only his club and moves impressively and not "for show." He is "a fine picture of the guardian of the peace."
The stranger is hidden in darkness, keeping a strange "appointment." He has diamonds-one that is oddly set.

The dialogue also gives hints of the two men's characters. We learn that Jimmy is "the truest, staunchest old
chap in the world." The stranger says that he and Jimmy "were raised like brothers" and that Jimmy is his "best
chum," but he, the stranger, moved around too much out West to keep in touch. The stranger says that Jimmy
would never forget their meeting-and in fact, Jimmy is there-he is the policeman on the beat.

Without all the hints throughout the story, the ending might be difficult for a reader to accept that an old friend
would have his best buddy arrested. But we are given insights into Jimmy's character throughout. Jimmy was a
"good fellow, but a kind of a plodder." Jimmy was someone who would always do the right thing.

O. Henry was known for the ironic twists of his stories. The irony here is that the two old friends turn out to
be opposites-a policeman and a crook. The stranger trusted Jimmy to show up for the appointment, and Jimmy
betrayed that trust by having him arrested. Jimmy betrayed his friend's trust because he was exactly the "the
truest, staunchest old chap in the world," just as his friend described him. The story's title is also ironic-"After

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Twenty Years" the friendship was betrayed by Jimmy's honesty and good character. If you were paying attention
to the foreshadowing, the ending wasn't totally unexpected.

Foreshadowing

Questions

1. What is foreshadowing?
A. an author's use of hints or clues to suggest events to come in the story
B. incidents that seem to be unimportant at first but take on added significance later
C. technique that contributes to the overall effect and meaning of the story
D. all of the above

2. Any clues the author gives in foreshadowing are directly stated in the story.
A. false
B. true

3. Foreshadowing can be found ______.
A. in the descriptions of the setting or the characters
B. in the dialogue
C. in the attitudes or reactions of the characters
D. all of the above

4. What is the purpose of foreshadowing?
A. It builds suspense by raising questions that encourage the reader to go on.
B. It makes a story more believable by partially preparing the reader for what is going to happen.
C. Both A and B
D. None of the above

5. A good reader won't be surprised at the ending of a story if he ______.

6. Good literature does more than:

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Choose your favorite book. Summarize the plot and give examples of foreshadowing the author uses throughout
the story.

Summarize what foreshadowing is and how an author might use it in a story.