The Foreshadow Knows Foreshadowing is when the author reveals information early in the story that hints to, or has an impact on later events. If used properly, foreshadowing can be an essential element to a story. Through out the story “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson uses foreshadowing to hint to the reader that something horrible is going to happen. Some of the author’s foreshadowing is very obvious. For example, she uses the name Graves for …showed first 75 words of 518 total…

…showed last 75 words of 518 total…late arrival, and other seemingly simple facts and seemingly random occurrences are placed through out the story. These hints are elements of foreshadowing used by the author. The author has skillfully used these elements of foreshadowing to let the reader know that something horrible is going to occur prior to the conclusion of the story. Works Cited Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” Literature, Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie Kirszner, Stephen Mandell. 4th ed. Orlando: Harcourt, 2001. 315-322.