Foreshadowing in “The Story of an Hour” - Teacher
Definition


The presentation of details, characters, or incidents in a narrative in such a way that later events are
prepared for (or "shadowed forth").
In other words, when the author gives hints or clues about what is going to happen, and then later in
the story it does happen.
Note: Foreshadowing is NOT a direct statement about what is coming.
Task:
Identify examples of foreshadowing in “The Story of an Hour” and explain why they are foreshadowing. Remember to
cite all of your quotes properly.
Quote
“Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with
a heart trouble, great care was taken to break
to her as gently as possible the news of her
husband's death.”
Reason
Mentioning the heart condition is only
necessary if it will later be relevant to the
story. Something is going to happen to Mrs.
Mallard’s heart later in the story.
-Opening line
“There was something coming to her and she
was waiting for it, fearfully. What was
it? She did not know; it was too subtle and
elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of
the sky, reaching toward her through the
sounds, the scents, the color that filled the
air.”
-paragraph 9
This lets us know that something exciting is
going to happen soon, but we don’t know
what it is yet. Mrs. Mallard is having a
premonition.