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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 I: Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Rasheed's Violent Nature:
In Chapters 8 and 9, Mariam becomes acquainted with Rasheed, the husband Jalil quickly obtains for her after Nana's death. While the true horror of Rasheed's violent, cruel personality has yet to be revealed, several moments in these early chapters foreshadow future domestic violence. Note the following excerpt from Chapter 8, in which Mariam and Rasheed wed in a rushed ceremony:
Mariam's hands shook when she tried to slip the band onto his finger, and Rasheed had to help her. Her own band was a little tight, but Rasheed had no trouble forcing it over her knuckles.
This passage clearly alludes to Rasheed's violent, abusive tendencies. He has "no trouble" forcing the wedding ring over Mariam's hands—a phrase that implies Rasheed's lack of care for his wife's well-being.
A second passage from Chapter 9 further foreshadows Mariam's abuse and Rasheed's violent nature:
"You're shaking. Maybe I scare you. Do I scare you? Are you frightened of me?"
Mariam was not looking at him, but she could hear something slyly playful in these questions, like a needling. She quickly shook her head in what she recognized as her first lie in their marriage.
In this exchange, the narrator notes Mariam's discomfort along with her immediate compulsion to lie to Rasheed. Mariam clearly does not trust him, and rightfully so. Rasheed proceeds to mock her fear, clearly delighting in the power he holds over her—an attitude that continues throughout their fraught marriage.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Mariam's Signature:
In the following example of foreshadowing from Chapter 8, Mariam signs her marriage contract, forced by Jalil to enter into the agreement with Rasheed:
Mariam signed her name—the meem, the reh, the ya, and the meem again—conscious of all the eyes on her hand. The next time Mariam signed her name to a document, twenty-seven years later, a mullah would again be present.
In the singular moment that Mariam signs her marriage contract, the plot seems to flash forward 27 years, foreshadowing the future signing of another significant document. Given that Mariam signs this document in the context of her marriage to Rasheed, unaware readers may assume that Mariam marries someone else in 27 years. Not so: the document Mariam signs in the future is a confession, admitting to Rasheed's murder.
If a person reading A Thousand Splendid Suns for the first time was informed, in Chapter 8, that Mariam would go on to murder Rasheed in defense of Laila, said reader might have their doubts. While Mariam is no pushover in Chapter 8, she is a young, browbeaten girl, seemingly incapable of raising her fist in violence to anyone, let alone her husband. The difference between Mariam in Chapter 8 and Mariam in Chapter 47 is stark, making the foreshadowing especially noteworthy.
Related Themes:
Part I: Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Rasheed's Violent Nature:
In Chapters 8 and 9, Mariam becomes acquainted with Rasheed, the husband Jalil quickly obtains for her after Nana's death. While the true horror of Rasheed's violent, cruel personality has yet to be revealed, several moments in these early chapters foreshadow future domestic violence. Note the following excerpt from Chapter 8, in which Mariam and Rasheed wed in a rushed ceremony:
Mariam's hands shook when she tried to slip the band onto his finger, and Rasheed had to help her. Her own band was a little tight, but Rasheed had no trouble forcing it over her knuckles.
This passage clearly alludes to Rasheed's violent, abusive tendencies. He has "no trouble" forcing the wedding ring over Mariam's hands—a phrase that implies Rasheed's lack of care for his wife's well-being.
A second passage from Chapter 9 further foreshadows Mariam's abuse and Rasheed's violent nature:
"You're shaking. Maybe I scare you. Do I scare you? Are you frightened of me?"
Mariam was not looking at him, but she could hear something slyly playful in these questions, like a needling. She quickly shook her head in what she recognized as her first lie in their marriage.
In this exchange, the narrator notes Mariam's discomfort along with her immediate compulsion to lie to Rasheed. Mariam clearly does not trust him, and rightfully so. Rasheed proceeds to mock her fear, clearly delighting in the power he holds over her—an attitude that continues throughout their fraught marriage.
Related Themes:
