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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
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—The Hare Hunt:
Right at the beginning of the book, Sewell foreshadows the upcoming attention Black Beauty will pay to cruelty against animals. While he’s still a foal, the narrator and his mother helplessly watch the finale of a hunt, where a hare meets a grim end:
And just then a hare wild with fright rushed by, and made for the plantation... the dogs were upon her with their wild cries; we heard one shriek, and that was the end of her.
This scene, where Black Beauty and his mother are spectators to the hare's fatal chase, sets the stage for the looming dangers and adversities that the narrator himself will soon face. The hare’s death is horrible, especially her “one shriek” before falling prey to the hunters’ relentless hounds. This moment serves as a chilling prelude to the potential threats awaiting any animal in a realm dominated by humans.
Through this technique, the narrative gestures subtly to Black Beauty's potential future experiences of cruelty and neglect. This not-so-subtle hint introduces an element of violence and disturbance to the idyllic early section of the novel. It ensures that the reader remains alert to the impending challenges and tragedies that might befall the protagonist. It's a strategic move, nudging readers to anticipate, speculate, and fear for the baby horse’s future.
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Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Ginger's Bad Habits:
When the mare is first introduced, Sewell foreshadows Ginger's “aggressive behavior.” As Merrylegs explains Ginger’s personality to Black Beauty, he also gives an account of how she got her name:
Ginger has a bad habit of biting and snapping; that is why they call her Ginger, and when she was in the loose box, she used to snap very much. One day she bit James in the arm and made it bleed [...]
These early hints of Ginger's nature introduce some tension and anticipation for the reader. Thus far in the novel they have only encountered horses who have been treated well. Now, readers become alert, waiting for events that might revolve around Ginger's aggression and the challenges it presents. Sewell heightens this anticipation through the description of her actions towards humans like James. She didn’t just bite his arm, Merrylegs says, but did so hard enough that she “made it bleed.” Beyond revealing an aspect of Ginger’s character, this foreshadowing also subtly underlines the powerlessness of Victorian horses before their owners' decisions and actions.
The idiom "gingered" in British Victorian slang refers to an aggressive horse. The cruel practice of “gingering” is now illegal, but used to be quite commonly performed in order to make horses seem more lively. It involved applying or inserting an irritant into a horse’s genitals, which would make them extremely uncomfortable and make their movements seem more animated. Through Ginger's story and her name, the novel both subtly and overtly critiques such practices.
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Chapter 16
Explanation and Analysis—Rushing and Crackling:
Uncomfortable foreshadowing and unnerving auditory imagery suggest that something unpleasant is about to happen in a scene where Black Beauty encounters a fire for the first time:
The trap door had been left open, and I thought that was the place it came through. I listened and heard a soft rushing sort of noise, and a low crackling and snapping. I did not know what it was, but there was something in the sound so strange that it made me tremble all over.
Before the narrator visually perceives the flames, the sounds of the fire reach him. The words "soft rushing" and "low crackling and snapping" evoke the distinct sounds of a fire burning. However, what makes this imagery notable is its deceptive softness. The sounds, typically associated with comfort when connected to a fireplace or campfire, seem oddly ominous in this context, hinting at the danger ahead. Black Beauty has never seen a fire before, but just from hearing it, he knows something is wrong and trembles “all over.”
This “soft rushing” premonition foreshadows the impending calamity. The stables are burning down around him. Even though Black Beauty isn’t yet aware of this, his unsettled response gives readers a clue that something is amiss. His trembling, provoked by the unfamiliar sounds, signals to the reader that a threat is looming. Describing Black Beauty's anxiety before revealing its cause enhances the sense of foreboding, especially for younger readers. They are made to feel the suspense and unease the narrator does, as he wonders what the alarming sounds could mean.
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Chapter 24
Explanation and Analysis—The Common:
As Black Beauty rushes through the common with Blantyre in pursuit of Lizzie and Lady Anne, Sewell provides the reader with rich and detailed visual imagery of the landscape, and foreshadows something unpleasant on the horizon:
I knew this common very well; it was for the most part very uneven ground, covered with heather and dark green furze bushes, with here and there a scrubby old thorn tree; there were also open spaces of fine short grass, with ant-hills and mole turns everywhere; the worst place I ever knew for a headlong gallop.
The common—an English term for a large swath of public land—is portrayed as a space that is green and lush. It’s almost like a bit of moorland, with ground unevenly covered by heather and “dark green furze bushes.” Adding to this textured, deeply green image are scattered thorn trees, open spaces of short grass, and a few things that Beauty knows are there but that he can’t see, such as “ant-hills” and “mole turns.” This comprehensive visual serves to immerse the reader into the physical setting, making them feel they’re galloping alongside the narrator through the English countryside.
However, the vivid descriptions also have another purpose. They set the stage for the subsequent events in the narrative, providing hints of what's to come. When Beauty says the common is "the worst place I ever knew for a headlong gallop," he subtly indicates the challenges and potential dangers awaiting Lizzie. Lizzie is already a “nervous mare” and unlike Black Beauty, she doesn’t know the "uneven ground" of the common "very well.” The intricacies of the landscape the narrator previously described, combined with this hint, give the reader a sense of anticipation and unease, preparing them for the alarming events that follow.
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