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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 10
Explanation and Analysis—Sybil's Predictions:
In the 10th chapter, a traveling fortune-teller visits the Primroses. The predictions she delivers to Olivia and Sophia for a shilling each foreshadow the novel's surprising end.
The reader initially expects that the didactic Dr. Primrose will disapprove of his daughters consulting the sybil. He concedes in his narration that this would normally be his inclination. However, expressing that he is "tired of being always wise" and that he loves "to see them happy," he lets his eager daughters have their fortunes read. After all, he doesn't believe the sybil actually possesses any psychic powers and therefore doesn't think letting his daughters speak with her can do much harm.
When they return, he says that he knows "by their looks" that "they had been promised something great." As usual, Olivia speaks first:
[...] she positively declared, that I am to be married to a ’Squire in less than a twelvemonth!”—“Well now, Sophy, my child,” said I, “and what sort of a husband are you to have?” “Sir,” replied she, “I am to have a Lord soon after my sister has married the ’Squire.”
The fortune-teller's prediction that Olivia will marry a squire and that Sophia will marry a lord within a year seems unbelievable. Nevertheless, the reader is inclined to believe that the prediction offers some valuable foreshadowing. For a few chapters already, Squire Thornhill has shown interest in Olivia without exhibiting any intention to marry her. Thus, the prediction gives the reader a renewed sense of curiosity about the squire's interest in the eldest Primrose daughter. And if Olivia will marry a squire, the reader becomes especially intrigued about how Sophia will secure the hand of a lord.
Right away, Dr. Primrose delivers a comical response to his daughters, mocking the fortune-teller's prediction:
“How,” cried I, “is that all you are to have for your two shillings! Only a Lord and a ’Squire for two shillings! You fools, I could have promised you a Prince and a Nabob for half the money.”
This response shows that he doesn't take the prediction seriously at all, viewing the fortune-teller as a scammer. Given that they paid money to have their fortunes told, he insinuates that they deserved something even grander than the already incredible prediction they received. This ridicule is his way of making it clear that, while he may have allowed his daughters to have fun with it this one time, he disapproves of fortune-telling.
When Dr. Primrose learns from Jenkinson in the 28th chapter that Olivia has died of her illness, the reader figures that the fortune-teller was wrong after all. The ending therefore comes as a particular surprise, as a series of revelations somehow ensures that the prediction comes true after all.
Related Themes:
Chapter 22
Explanation and Analysis—Returning Home:
When Dr. Primrose narrates his return home in the 22nd chapter, he describes his elation over the anticipation of being back with his family again. For the reader, the unrestraint of his preemptive joy foreshadows that something unexpected is waiting for him and that he is much further from attaining his goal than he believes in the moment. Using a simile, he compares himself to a bird that has fallen from its nest.
And now my heart caught new sensations of pleasure the nearer I approached that peaceful mansion. As a bird that had been frighted from its nest, my affections out-went my haste, and hovered round my little fire-side, with all the rapture of expectation. I called up the many fond things I had to say, and anticipated the welcome I was to receive. I already felt my wife’s tender embrace, and smiled at the joy of my little ones.
In this passage, Dr. Primrose dwells on his excitement to be home. He initially went away in the 18th chapter to retrieve Olivia, but a number of events kept him from returning home to his family. Now that he has found Olivia and is on the cusp of a reunion with his family, he bases his exuberant joy on the assumption that everything will be just as he left it. The exuberance of this joy builds suspense, as it signals to the reader that something might get in the way of his "wife's tender embrace" or the opportunity to smile "at the joy of [his] little ones."
Just after he writes that his "heart dilated with unutterable happiness," the unlucky Dr. Primrose discovers that his house is on fire. All of his family members survive, but their house and possessions suffer significant damage. Additionally, Dr. Primrose seriously injures his arm when saving his youngest children from the burning house. After longing to be back by the fireplace with his family, his life is altered by a fire.
The passage contains a simile in which Dr. Primrose compares himself to a little bird that was "frighted from its nest." He suggests that a bird that falls from it nest thinks more about being back in its nest than about how to make its return happen. Similarly, as he fantasizes about being home in the same old routine with his family, he doesn't consider how attainable this might be. It is notable that Dr. Primrose likens himself to a bird, as this comparison makes him appear small and vulnerable, which he increasingly becomes as a result of his struggles.
Related Themes:
