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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
Part 1, Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Alex Doomed:
At the end of Part 1, Chapter 5, Alex foreshadows his unhappy fate:
And so I led my three droogs out to my doom.
Having just told his droogs about the Manse or Mansion where the cat lady lives, Alex has no idea that his friends will ultimately betray him, leaving him in the hands of the police. However, Alex chooses to foreshadow that moment for two reasons. The first is that Alex can prepare the reader for what is to come, bracing them for dark and traumatic scenes. This may seem slightly ironic given all the trauma Alex has caused, but the point of the Ludovico Technique is to develop an association between violence, trauma, and bad feelings that Alex did not have before.
The second reason is that by including this ominous passage, Burgess keeps the reader engaged and motivates them to keep reading so that they discover what exactly Alex's "doom" entails. Not only does Burgess know how to deal with complicated issues, but also how to frame them to make them interesting and page-turning. He writes in a way that sells and in a way that provokes interesting discussions and reflections on the ways of the world.
