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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 1
Explanation and Analysis—Ralph's Villainy :
In Chapter 1, Dickens includes a notable instance of foreshadowing, alluding to the future direction that Ralph's character arc will take:
From what we have said of this young gentleman, and the natural admiration the reader will immediately conceive of his character, it may perhaps be inferred that he is to be the hero of the work which we shall presently begin. To set this point at rest for once and for ever, we hasten to undeceive them, and stride to its commencement.
The narrator describes Ralph in the above passage, then takes the time to speak directly to readers, informing them that Ralph is not the "hero" of this story. This implies that he will develop into a villain, though readers are as yet unsure what direction Ralph's villainy will take.
On a stylistic level, this passage is also noteworthy. Authors rarely acknowledge the writing process in the writing itself, choosing to obscure the archetypal puppet strings behind the curtain that hold the story together. In the excerpt above, however, Dickens deviates from this stylistic standard. He decides to directly acknowledge the character archetypes he uses to the reader, labeling Ralph "unheroic" before the narrative has even partially unfurled.
Explanation and Analysis—Gold:
In Chapter 1, Dickens introduces readers to Ralph Nickleby, a man defined in large part by his greed and overwhelming self-interest. According to the narrator, who ruminates broadly on the nature of greed throughout the passage, such unchecked avarice can bring about a person's end. Dickens utilizes metaphor to hammer this point home, at the same time foreshadowing Ralph's eventual death in the novel:
Gold conjures up a mist about a man, more destructive of all his old senses and lulling to his feelings than the fumes of charcoal.
In the passage above, Dickens uses metaphor to compare the effect gold/money has on a person to the effect of charcoal fumes. Such fumes can be deadly in an enclosed space, given the large amount of carbon monoxide (very lethal in high quantities) produced in the process of burning charcoal. Through the use of this indirect metaphor, Dickens argues that greed is a deadly, poisonous force.
Here, Dickens lays out one of his thesis statements for Nicholas Nickleby: love of money can destroy a person's life, relationships, and moral character. Dickens makes an example out of Ralph in the novel, foreshadowing his demise in the above passage. Money does indeed "lull" Ralph's feelings, influencing him to make decisions that lead to his eventual suicide.
Related Themes:
Chapter 16
Explanation and Analysis—Meeting Madeline:
In Chapter 16, Nicholas meets Madeline for the first time, though he is not yet aware of her identity. While she is beautiful, her beauty is not what immediately stands out to Nicholas—rather, his first impression of her is that of an uncharacteristically sad woman, too troubled for her age. She is veiled; yet again, she is unconventional for her age, this time with regards to attire. Dickens's initial description of Madeline through Nicholas's eyes foreshadows the young woman's unfortunate circumstances.
This was a young lady who could be scarcely eighteen, of very slight and delicate figure [...]. She raised her veil for an instant, while she preferred the inquiry, and disclosed a countenance of most uncommon beauty, although shaded by a cloud of sadness, which in one so young was doubly remarkable.
At this point in the novel, Madeline's sorry situation has yet to be revealed to either Nicholas or the reader. Throughout both Nicholas Nickleby and Dickens's other published works, the author is fond of including foreshadowing in this manner. In connecting characters' appearances directly to their narrative role in the story (villains appear ugly and untrustworthy, tragic characters appear sad), Dickens can conveniently allude to their future actions while only revealing vague plot details.
Chapter 22
Explanation and Analysis—Smike's Past:
In Chapter 22, Nicholas and Smike must leave town to search for work elsewhere after Nicholas aggravates Ralph. During their journey, Nicholas questions Smike about his past and his memories, all the while unaware that the contents of their discussion will become incredibly important later on. This conversation foreshadows future confrontations over Smike's parentage and is remarkably telling in hindsight:
‘Look at me,’ said Nicholas, wishing to attract his full attention. ‘There; don’t turn away. Do you remember no woman, no kind gentle woman, who hung over you once, and kissed your lips, and called you her child?’
‘No,’ said the poor creature, shaking his head, ‘no, never.’
Note in this excerpt that Smike states explicitly that he has no memory of his mother, or indeed any woman, interacting with him before he was sent to Dotheboys Hall. This foreshadows the fact that Ralph is Smike's father and indicates—in retrospect—that Ralph is lying about Smike's parentage (in a later chapter, Ralph claims that Smike is Mr. Snawley's child but grew up with the mother). Under other circumstances, this passage would not be noteworthy, featuring simply as another contemplation of an orphaned boy's parentage. Given Ralph and Mr. Snawley's subsequent actions against Smike, however, the above statements serve as telling evidence.
Related Themes:
Chapter 58
Explanation and Analysis—Smike's Fate:
In Chapter 58, Smike sees the man who first took him to Dotheboys Hall. Given the fact that Smike is ill and terrified of death or physical harm, Nicholas writes off this sighting as insanity, illness, or hallucination. In fact, this sighting foreshadows Brooker's revelation that he did travel to see Smike, revealed later in the novel.
‘Do you remember,’ said Smike, in a low voice, and glancing fearfully round, ‘do you remember my telling you of the man who first took me to the school?’
‘Yes, surely.’
‘I raised my eyes just now towards that tree – that one with the thick trunk – and there, with his eyes fixed on me, he stood!’
Nicholas does not take this sighting seriously, worried rather about the mental and physical health of his friend. While one might expect Nicholas to write off Smike in this scenario, his willingness to do so reflects a broader lack of regard for the perspectives of people deemed "mentally unstable." Smike is lucid here, though paranoid. Nicholas, his friend, is quick to disregard this lucidity and eager to situate events within the comfortable social framework of sanity versus insanity. In reality, the world is much less binary—Smike may be suffering mentally, but he is not incapable of cogent thought.
Chapter 62
Explanation and Analysis—The Cemetery:
In Chapter 62, Ralph reckons with the consequences of his actions, shocked at the realization that Smike—whom he has tormented for months—is his biological son. While Ralph contemplates his life choices, he walks through a cemetery. The imagery in this passage speaks to Ralph's internal state and foreshadows his eventual demise:
Ralph Nickleby left the city behind him and took the road to his own home. The night was dark, and a cold wind blew, driving the clouds furiously and fast before it. There was one black, gloomy mass that seemed to follow him; not hurrying in the wild chase with the others, but lingering sullenly behind, and gliding darkly and stealthily on. He often looked back at this, and more than once stopped to let it pass over, but somehow, when he went forward again it was still behind him, coming mournfully and slowly up like a shadowy funeral train.
Dickens's use of imagery in the above passage is distinctly gothic: the night is dark, cold, and stormy, and an ominous cloud follows behind Ralph, seeming an ill omen. This ominous cloud is Ralph's veritable stalker, following him on his walk home "like a shadowy funeral train." The sensory imagery here foreshadows Ralph Nickleby's eventual death, implying through nature imagery and proximity to the cemetery that something bad is about to happen.
