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Dramatic Irony
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:
Hester's motherly instinct is almost supernatural in nature, serving to foreshadow Paul's tragic death at the end of the story. Speaking directly to Paul about his concerning behavior, Hester asserts:
"I think you care too much about these races. It's a bad sign."
Hester's choice of words implies that Paul's fixation on the races will come to no good and may have a negative impact on his future, though she has no way of knowing for certain if this is true: she does not even know that he is gambling, which she reveals in a later statement. This ability to predict future harm puts the reader on edge, throwing them into a state of anticipation regarding the problems that are sure to arise.
The foreshadowing continues as Paul's fixation on the races becomes increasingly all-consuming:
"Two nights before the Derby, [Hester] was at a big party in town, when one of her rushes of anxiety about her boy, her first-born, gripped her heart till she could hardly speak."
Again, there is nothing to suggest to Hester that Paul is in danger—at least, nothing significant—yet she feels a sense of foreboding that foreshadows later tragic events. Hester's anxieties thus mirror the reader's own discomfort, ultimately anticipating Paul's eventual demise as a result of his obsession with using the rocking-horse to earn money for his family.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Lawrence creates a distinctly foreboding mood in "The Rocking-Horse Winner." There is a general sense of impending doom throughout the story, mostly centered around the characters' collective fixation on money. This foreboding mood is especially evident towards the end of the story, as the narrative nears its climax:
The Derby was drawing near, and [Paul] grew more and more tense. He hardly heard what was spoken to him, he was very frail, and his eyes were really uncanny. His mother had sudden strange seizures of uneasiness about him.
Here, the narrative's use of the word "uncanny"—meaning strange, mysterious, and unsettling—creates a feeling of unease around the subject of the Derby and Paul's gambling. As tension within the text increases, building toward a climax, this sense of foreboding and unease only becomes more and more pronounced. What's more, to increase tension around the subject of money, the narrative also uses foreshadowing:
Two nights before the Derby, [Hester] was at a big party in town, when one of her rushes of anxiety about her boy, her first-born, gripped her heart till she could hardly speak.
Hester's anxiety about her son's welfare only increases as the Derby—a high-stakes gambling opportunity—grows closer. Her "seizures of uneasiness" indicate that something will go terribly wrong, ultimately foreshadowing Paul's death at the end of the story.
Finally, it is important to note the role of magical realism in generating the story's sinister and uneasy mood. Houses can only "talk" in a figurative sense, yet in "The Rocking-Horse Winner," the characters quite literally hear voices that encourage their feelings of greed. This unnatural force thus contributes to an overall tone of uneasiness, reinforcing Lawrence's stance that greed and materialism are destructive.
Related Themes:
