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  • Essay / Key Passage from The Woman in the Dunes - 1338

    The authors prefer to show their expertise by leaving readers wondering what is going on because of a few sentences that mean more than just words. Foreshadowing has always been a key element of literature and gives clues to readers about plot development. Kobo Abe's Woman in the Dunes opens with chapters that leave readers thinking about what these ironic tones and phrases are really trying to convey. One such passage in the first few pages is where sand was described in two different ways. The passage then continues by questioning the way in which the sand, the desert and life have in common the fact of being victims of competition as well as means of escape. This passage contains a lot of foreshadowing as the author cleverly does, but subtly leaves hints as the passage progresses. Abe uses tone, diction, and mood as key tools, throughout this passage, to ensure that the reader picks up on the allusions to foreshadowing. Tone and diction influence each other and have a constant potential tension, where one reacts to the other's change. These two devices have always constituted an important part of literature, particularly in terms of foreshadowing. It states the obvious and somehow emphasizes that there is much more to the words than what is said. The passage begins in a very serious tone, as the scientific definition of sand has been given. As the text progresses and addresses the phenomena of sand formation, the tone becomes very intense. Normally the same text would seem rather boring and monotonous, but Abe manages to keep the reader confused as to why sand was discussed at such depth. Scientific words were initially used to give the reader a sense of rationalization. The author mentions that middle of paper......being "easily sucked into the air" is a major foreshadowing of what happens to the protagonist's life, as he is sucked into the sand dune ( dead). without disturbing the rocks and clay that might be the people around it. The passage ends with a final description of sand as a particle of "crushed rock" that can be moved "easily", which is the protagonist's final state at the end of the book, where he is figuratively crushed. be sure to keep the reader informed, while remaining confused throughout the book. However, despite the ambiguity of the book, nothing is left unexplained and the reader can interpret the entire story in several ways. The author has used foreshadowing in a striking way, and it has been done so skillfully, that the reader is amazed at the connections that can be made once the book is read..