Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Giver

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Foreshadowing is a useful literary device that writers use to provide clues about future events in a story. Lois Lowry frequently uses foreshadowing in “The Giver” to give subtle hints about subsequent developments in the novel. The reader can interpret these indications to develop assumptions about what will occur next. Also, they can provide explanations once the event has occurred and the reader can look back and find new meaning in certain passages. The pain and challenges that Jonas will face during his training are frequently suggested when he first begins his training with The Giver. During Jonas’s selection to become the next Receiver of Memory, the Chief Elder states that the previous selection was a failure. When Jonas questions his parents about the results of the previous selection, they inform him that “[they] never saw her again (Lowry 85)” and they do not know what happened to her. As well as being informed of a failure in the past, Jonas’s rules state that he is not allowed to apply for medication related to his training or release. These clues hint that Jonas will suffer to the point that he may want to apply for release or there is a chance that he will fail. Later in his training, Jonas experiences memories of pain and suffering, such as injury, war, and hunger. …show more content…

This first becomes evident when Lily tells him that the newchild Gabriel had pale eyes like his own while “almost every citizen in the community had dark eyes (Lowry 25).” Later, while playing catch with Asher using an apple, the apple changes for an instant, but Jonas is the only one who sees the change. The purpose for these differences is revealed when Jonas is “selected to be [the] new Receiver of Memory (Lowry 76).” There is only one Receiver of Memory, so the person selected must be unique from the others to perfectly fit the

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