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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
Letter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Celie's Queerness:
In multiple passages throughout the first half of the novel, Walker foreshadows Celie's eventual sexual and romantic relationship with Shug Avery, alluding to but not directly addressing her central character's queerness. The statements foreshadowing Celie's unfolding queer identity often present as expressions of disinterest in men, as opposed to any positive acknowledgement of attraction to Shug. For instance, in the following excerpt from Letter 10, Celie comments on the monotony of male romantic prospects:
He do look all right, I say. But I don’t think about it while I say it. Most times mens look pretty much alike to me.
Walker includes the phrase "most times mens look pretty much alike to me" as a hint to readers, implying that Celie's lack of interest in men goes beyond simply distaste for the men currently in her life. In this passage, Walker implies that Celie has no aesthetic or sexual appreciation for men at all, even theoretically.
Celie will often take notice of women in a way that she doesn’t take notice of men, remarking on this directly in Letter 5:
I don’t even look at mens. That’s the truth. I look at women, tho, cause I’m not scared of them.
Celie frames her interest in women as a lack of fear, more than the product of physical and emotional attraction. This does not have to be interpreted as undermining the legitimacy of Celie's queerness: rather, it represents one step taken during Celie's gradual process of self-actualization and discovery.
Related Themes:
Letter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Celie's Queerness:
In multiple passages throughout the first half of the novel, Walker foreshadows Celie's eventual sexual and romantic relationship with Shug Avery, alluding to but not directly addressing her central character's queerness. The statements foreshadowing Celie's unfolding queer identity often present as expressions of disinterest in men, as opposed to any positive acknowledgement of attraction to Shug. For instance, in the following excerpt from Letter 10, Celie comments on the monotony of male romantic prospects:
He do look all right, I say. But I don’t think about it while I say it. Most times mens look pretty much alike to me.
Walker includes the phrase "most times mens look pretty much alike to me" as a hint to readers, implying that Celie's lack of interest in men goes beyond simply distaste for the men currently in her life. In this passage, Walker implies that Celie has no aesthetic or sexual appreciation for men at all, even theoretically.
Celie will often take notice of women in a way that she doesn’t take notice of men, remarking on this directly in Letter 5:
I don’t even look at mens. That’s the truth. I look at women, tho, cause I’m not scared of them.
Celie frames her interest in women as a lack of fear, more than the product of physical and emotional attraction. This does not have to be interpreted as undermining the legitimacy of Celie's queerness: rather, it represents one step taken during Celie's gradual process of self-actualization and discovery.
Related Themes:
