2. Elements in my Novel

5 Main Elements

1. Foreshadowing

2. Point of View

3. Setting

4. Suspense

5. Trap/ Obstacle

     Foreshadowing is often not the most important element in a novel for me to enjoy reading, but in Shoeless Joe, I find that it plays an important role in the storyline. So far, foreshadowing has been used twice to show how the story will play out. The first time it was used was at the very beginning of the story to set up the main objective (so far) for the main character, Ray. The foreshadowing vaguely tells the reader what Ray's goal is and what the reward is. The second time that foreshadowing is used, it was harder to understand what was meant until explicitly stated by Ray.

     The foreshadowing in this book is important because it sets up events to happen later in the book, I think. It also makes the reader think about what is happening and the possibilities of what may happen.

 

"... when a voice clearly said to me, 'If you build it, he will come.'" (Kinsella 3).

 

     This is the first example of foreshadowing. It seems unclear at the moment of what "it" and "he" are, but as the story progresses they are revealed. "it" is a baseball diamond, and "he" is Shoeless Joe Jackson. Of course, Ray must set out and build this baseball diamond, which is his first obsticle or challange, and the outcome is foreshadowed in the above quotation.