Use Of Foreshadowing In The Catbird Seat And The Lottery

Ayn Rand once said, “Words are a lens to focus one’s mind.” In the short stories, “The Catbird Seat” by James Thurber and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, both of the writers incorporate typical literal devices throughout the story to captivate the reader’s attention. The two writers apply both suspense and foreshadowing alternatively in two very distinctive ways.
Suspense in “The Catbird Seat” is first introduced in the beginning of the story, and continues to thrive throughout. Audiences are immediately engaged into the story when Mr. Marin brought a pack of Camel cigarettes under the condition that he “did not smoke, and never had.” (212) Mr. Martin who never smokes went to the “most crowded” cigar store, and expecting no one will saw

Suspense is developed upon the details on the special preparations of the event. It first come contact with the reader as the black box introduces in the story. When the black box is carried out the villagers “[leave] a space between themselves and the stool.” (228) Mystery starts to arose between a vivid contrast of relax, joyful attitude to a serious, depressing one. Significant amount of details of the black box are presented but the meaning of the lottery seems unusual. A night before the lottery, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves made a box of slip paper; the box got taken to and “locked up” in Mr. Summer’s coal company until he was ready to take the box the next day. A sense of seriousness brings in, provokes the reader to wonder the mystery behind the black box. “We better get started, get this over with.” The sober tone of Mr. Summer adds on to the uncertainties of the lottery. As suppose the villagers should have been exciting regarding to the draw of the winner. In contrast, the villagers are reaching the black box “humourlessly” and “nervously” with hesitation as the paper took out of the box. Moreover, the fact that the villagers “beamed and laughed, turning around to the crowd and holding their slips of paper above their heads” when they got a blank piece of paper, drives the reader to wonder the unusual fact of the lottery behind the box.

In the beginning of the story, Mr. Martin’s trip to “the most crowded cigar store” foreshadows his “marvelous” plan of rubbing out Mrs. Barrows. Repetition of Mrs. Barrow’s dramatic question, “Are you sitting on a catbird seat?” further foreshadows the success of Mr. Martin’s plan, he was “sitting on a catbird seat” reaches his goal without any error or problem. In contrast of Mr. Martin, Mrs. Barrows who used to sitting pretty in terms of her role in the company lost her seat by her loyal report about the ridiculous action that Mr. Martin took in her apartment. It is foreshadows that Mrs. Barrows pathetic ending as Mr. Martin carrying out his “marvelous” plan. Believing the fact that Mr. Martin never smokes and drinks, and having a reputation as a “cautious and painstaking hand”, Mr. Martin justifies his ridiculous action by himself. The use of foreshadowing makes the audience believes that there is more to