Although it is often criticized and misunderstood, the foreshadowing used in To Kill A Mockingbird is much like the same technique used in various movies and literature today. There are many times when Harper Lee uses foreshadowing in her novel, which is to give clues about what is about to happen next. Part I of the novel is a large example of a foreshadow. While some people claim Part I of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is pointless, Lee uses specific events in Part I to highlight critical ideas in the novel through foreshadowing.
The novel has won awards such as, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, although there are still many critics to judge the text. Part I seems pointless to some people because it has no specific storyline. In addition, the
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The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, says, “Nobody knew what form of intimidation Mr. Radley employed to keep Boo out of sight, but Jem figured that Mr. Radley kept him chained to the bed most of the time” (Lee 11). In this scene Miss Stephanie Crawford, Scout and Jem Finch are talking about Boo Radley. From this line the reader can tell that Boo does not go out of the house and he is mysterious. Furthermore, when Scout, Jem, and Dill pretend to be Boo and stab his father, this helps the reader build Boo’s characterization that he is evil.
Atticus Finch’s views on racism are bespoke in Part I, to foreshadow what will happen at the Tom Robinson case. Atticus says, “I’m simply defending a Negro—his name’s Tom Robinson” (Lee 75). Atticus believes that he should be able to defend any man, regardless of his color. Even though, almost all of the white citizens in Maycomb do not think it is right for a white man to defend a black man, Atticus does not conform with society’s beliefs of racism. Lee’s foreshadowing, helps for the upcoming event in Part II because now the reader knows how Atticus feels about racism and steps away from the towns