Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Hitchhiker

As Mccarthy once said “The suspense of a novel is not only in the reader but in the novelist, who is intensely curious about what will happen to the hero. (Mary McCarthy)” In this quote, McCarthy means the main characters in the story are suspenseful to draw the reader to be anxious. Above all, the author incorporates the use of literary terms in his or her’s story to create the feeling of suspense. To be specific, in the story “The Hitchhiker” by Lucille Fletcher, the author includes the elements foreshadowing and supernatural to leave the reader anticipated and anxious what is going on in the story. Also, in “The Monkey's Paw” by W.W Jacobs, the author develops suspense by adding literary devices such as situational irony and cliffhanger

In the beginning of the story, Lucille starts of by Ronald Adams leaving his home to drive to California with his mother very worried. In the text it says, “I know. But you’ll be careful, won’t you. Promise me you’ll be extra careful. Don’t fall asleep—or drive fast—or pick up any strangers on the road . . . Adams. Of course not! You’d think I was still seventeen to hear you talk—” (“The Hitchhiker”) This builds suspense in the story by hinting that something bad will happen. When his mother says don’t pick up any strangers on the road this hints that he most likely will come across something similar like that. Also, the mother seems very concerned about him going on this trip and leaves the reader questioning if he will make any decisions that will affect him. Additionally, in the story, Ronald Adams keeps seeing a reappearing Hitchhiker which leaves him nervous and anxious. In the text it states, “There was a man there, I tell you . . . a thin gray man, with an overnight bag in his hand. And I was trying to—run him down. Girl. Run him down? You mean—kill him?Adams. He’s a sort of—phantom. I’m trying to get rid of him—or else prove that he’s real. But (desperately) you say you didn’t see him back there? You’re sure?” (“The Hitchhiker”) This example builds suspense by showing a reappearing supernatural creature. When the man is revealed to

In the story, Mr. White wishes that he could have 200 pounds from the Monkey's Paw. In the text it states, “I wish for two hundred pounds," said the old man distinctly…."He was caught in the machinery… Mr. White dropped his wife's hand, and rising to his feet, gazed with a look of horror at his visitor. His dry lips shaped the words, "How much?" "Two hundred pounds," was the answer.”(“The Monkey’s Paw”). This piece of evidence leaves the reader in suspense because the reader doesn’t know how much destruction the paw is going to cause in the future. The White family is suddenly given the 200 pounds for their son's death which is never expected. The reader doesn’t know what might happen in the future and could be even more devastating for the family. Furthermore in the “Monkey's Paw,” the reader infers Mrs. White wished for Herbert to come back from the dead but did not realize the possibilities of the outcomes. Moreover, Jacobs develops suspense by incorporating cliffhanger to the story. In the text, it states “The knocking ceased suddenly, although the echoes of it were still in the house. He heard the chair drawn back and the door opened. A cold wind rushed up the staircase, and a long loud wail of disappointment and misery from his wife gave him courage to run down to her side, and then to the gate beyond. The street lamp flickering