Foreshadowing and Character Development
Foreshadowing is a great tool, which an author can use to develop character. The most common way of employing foreshadow is by providing the reader a period in the character's life which sets or explains a character trait. The author uses indicative phrases and words without interfering with the suspense or revealing the story. He uses subtle hints, but the readers are not able to completely grasp them after only reading once. At the end of the story, the suspense and mystery used in the foreshadowing strengthened the sense of the story's mystery.
Foreshadowing Character Development
In A " P, John Updike utilizes foreshadowing to show the development of the characters in the story. The author outlines various hints to steadily suggest to how every person behaves and what kind of people they are. For instance, for Sammy who is the protagonist, the author utilizes Sammy's monologue to demonstrate to the reader how he is the awkward type of person. Even the narration initially seems to be taking place in the present; it partially functions as foreshadowing. Sammy presents the tale in retrospect because it is clear that members of his family are already aware of him leaving work, and his choice saddens them. The foreshadowing of Updike is subtle as hinted by this sad part of the story. For other characters such as the three young girls, the author uses Sammy's narration to describe them for the reader for greater character understanding. The reader can presume that finally something will be reported regarding the girl's inappropriate dressing. It not suitable for the setting, which is popular with sheep, watches, and cash register. The last bit of foreshadowing is seen when Sammy states that everyone luck starts to diminish. His future without employment is foreseen within the previous statement. The point of perception is very significant in developing a character for all of them. Were it from Lengel point of view, Sammy would have been seen from a completely different angle. He would most probably be considered as a lazy worker who lacks respect for Lengel, and constantly stares at customers. While were it from "Queenie's" point of view, Sammy would have been seen as some rogue who kept gazing at her and other girls (Updike, 2010 p 19). However because it is Sammy's perception, he is viewed as the merely embarrassing teenage boy involved only in childish things while Lengel is considered to be a strict control freak boss. Here, Lengel functions as Sammy's foil due to their different view of the girl's clothes or lack of clothes. In fact, they were involved in a brief spat about it when Sammy opted to stop and quit. These varying perceptions indicate a rather significant gap between Lengel and Sammy. For Sammy, it suggests how immature he still is since he left work only to excite a few girls. Later he discovered that he had blundered seriously and that he had a good life and now life was being unfair to him. This unexpected change of hearing indicates the dynamic character of Sammy.
Foreshadowing the Theme
The main character developed is that of the leading actor Sammy. The protagonist functions as the storyteller of the narrative. This narrative is the story of Sammy. The reader discovers that the tale is a flashback to an incident that negatively affected Sammy. However, it is told in the present tense, Updike utilizes his story to illustrate the typical themes, which are; generational gaps, and choices and their consequences. The author employs incidences within the story to demonstrate the contrast in generations. Sammy depicts the modern age, which shortly will encourage freedom that is more personal. This liberty mean that the individual ought to make his own decisions regarding his way of dressing, the kind of haircut and his perceptions about life. Sammy's attitude towards Lengel to leave work shows Sammy's first attempt to fight the old standards. Here the most significant theme of making choices and recognizing that they have consequences is well illuminated. At only nineteen, Sammy's experience is limited to work in a grocery store and school within a small town. He opts to quit employment to emphasize the ill-treatment of the teenage girls by Lengel. His resigning served two purposes. One was for impressing the girls, and the other was for making a statement to Lengel.
However, none of them was successful. According to Lengel, Sammy is a silly young boy while the girls do not even notice him quitting his employment. To emphasize this theme further, the girls decide to enter the grocery store dressed inappropriately. The choices of the girls had consequences. They were ordered never to return to the store dresses improperly. Legend decides to make the girls face embarrassment by stripping them before the customers and the workers in the grocery. He was already angry with other issues. He surely could have addressed the matter in ales threatening and humiliating approach. Probably, his actions might symbolize misuse of power. On any scale, Lengel suffered the consequences of his choices when one of the best employees in the store quits his job because of Sammy's philosophy of applying the golden rule. Being a Sunday school teacher, Lengel should have used his judgment to direct him on the right path. Legend got what he planted.
Conclusion
Updike uses foreshadowing to provide clues and hints regarding the events that were to happen in the story. Updike exploits this literature device in order to convert the narrative to make readers think that the events of the story are presently taking place. Sammy narrates the tale in retrospect because it is clear that members of his family are already aware of him leaving work, whereby his choice revokes negative commentaries. The foreshadowing of Updike is subtle as hinted by this sad part of the story. The author's use of indicative phrases and words without interfering with the suspense or revealing the story highlights the importance of foreshadowing to accumulate the theme of the novel. He used subtle hints, but the readers were not able to completely grasp them after only reading once. At the end of the story, the protagonist was left jobless and with uneasy, emotional feelings. Unfortunately, the reader is left to wonder what t happens to the Jobless Sammy.
Works Cited
Updike, John. "A " P." An Introduction to Fiction. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 11th Ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 16-20. Print.
