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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
Foreshadowing
Explanation and Analysis—Instant, Complicated Bond:
Roberta and Twyla's initial encounter at St. Bonny's foreshadows the ways in which their relationship will be both close and troubled:
‘Good,’ said Bozo. ‘Maybe then she’ll come and take you home.’ How’s that for mean? If Roberta had laughed I would have killed her, but she didn’t. She just walked over to the window and stood with her back to us.
This is an early hint of the relationship challenges the two will face, but also of their potential for reconciliation. At this moment, Twyla has already established that she has inherited some kind of racial prejudice from her mother and that she doesn’t like Roberta, but when Bozo makes a jab at Twyla's orphan status, Roberta acts in solidarity. She chooses to side with Twyla despite Twyla's previous racist remark, although she does so silently, seeming to indicate that she has not fully forgiven Twyla.
This first moment together foreshadows the ways that the two come together in times of struggle, but without unconditionally accepting each other. They are often on opposite sides, even hostile to each other—this is evident at the Howard Johnson's meeting and at the bussing protest. Ultimately, though, the two come back to one another to tackle their problems in solidarity: first uniting against Big Bozo at St. Bonny's, and later trying to piece together and heal from childhood memories after the hotel party at the story's conclusion.
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