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How Does Dickens Use Foreshadowing In A Tale Of Two Cities

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In A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens uses foreshadowing to keep the reader hooked on the story. Dickens uses foreshadowing multiple times throughout the book and if the reader pays close attention they may be able to predict main plot points in the book. Dickens uses foreshadowing to give hints about important plot points that are to come in the novel and keep the reader in suspense.
In the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities a wine cask spills onto the streets of France. The people had then stopped whatever they were doing and collected the wine in any way they could. Those who did go after the spilled wine “had acquired a tigerish smear about the mouth” and had stained their hands. After the wine was gone and the people had left the streets; the road was then stained a brilliant red, and someone had “scrawled upon a wall with [a] finger dipped in muddy wine-lees—blood” (Dickens, 32). Not only does this scene show how desperate the people in France are, but Dickens makes sure the reader understands that he is foreshadowing that the French Revolution is on the horizon. When Dickens uses this scene to create foreshadowing he makes sure he keeps the reader hooked on the story. He does this by using creative word choice, imagery and creating a beautiful scene that drags the reader in. Later on in the story this scene is revisited. However, it would no longer be wine that is flowing through the streets of France, but blood.
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