Foreshadowing In A Cold Greeting

Many words can have multiple meanings, this applies to the story “A Cold Greeting” because in the title the word “cold” has two different meanings within the story. Foley and Conway were both greeted coldly, which means that they were greeted very rudely. Or with little to no emotion. Conway was also greeted by a dead man, which for the readers, sends a cold shiver down their spines because being in a room with ghosts makes you cold. This word developes the tone of the story because it makes the reader feel a little creeped out by the end.

When people are greeted coldly, they usually get offended, particularly when the greeting comes from someone close to you. In the story, Mr. Barting was close with Mr. Conway, they had a deal with each other wherein whoever died first, they would try to communicate with the other from beyond the grave. Mr. Conway told this story to Mr. Foley and after a few weeks he saw Mr. Conway walking down the street and tried to say hello but Mr. Conway only nodded and walked on. The next day when Mr. Conway was questioned about this greeting, he said that he greeted Mr. Foley the same way that Mr. Barting greeted him the day before and only fifteen minutes before Mr. Foley had questioned Mr. Conway.

Conway, he was unaware that Mr. Barting had died four days before this conversation. Mr. Foley told this information to Mr. Conway and provided the letters to prove it. Mr. Conway then said that he must have mistaken another man for Barting, and that the man he saw didn't have a mustache. Mr. Foley agreed that it must have been another man. What Mr. Foley failed to mention, was that in his pocket he had a recent photo of Mr. Barting, and he didn't have a mustache. The other meaning of cold applies here. Mr. Conway was greeted by a dead man, and it is believed that when you are in the presence of spirits the room will become much colder, and when anyone thinks of dead people, they think of a cold, lifeless