Free Foreshadowing, Symbolism, Ending And Theme Literature Review Sample

Dracula by Bram Stoker

In Dracula, foreshadowing has been imminent with the visit of Jonathan Harker, a lawyer, to Transylvania to facilitate the terms of a real estate property bound to be named under Count Dracula. The fact that the peasants in England warned Harker of their fearfulness towards the danger posed by Count Dracula, who is highly rumored to be a vampire, has proved adequate to serve as a foreshadowing of the forthcoming events (Stoker 1-45). Several symbolisms are eminent throughout the story, the foremost of which being the canine teeth that represents the peculiar yet fearsome main physical feature of everyone who turns into vampires. The boxes of earth transported from Transylvania to England, numbering to 50 but with only one of them containing the body of Count Dracula, serves as the main link between the two aforementioned faraway places. Had said boxes not been transported to England, Count Dracula would not have been able to carry out his quest to turn others therein into vampires – Lucy and Mina, most especially (Stoker 54-64; 270-282). The ending saw the likes of Harker and Morris putting an end to the atrocities of Count Dracula by cutting off his head and driving a knife to his heart (Stoker 296-301). Overall, the story deals with the real-life dilemma of having to go against the powerful forces nature for attaining survival.

Kissing Dead Boys by Annette Curtis Klause

Vengeance is the key to understanding the side of the narrator in Kissing Dead Boys, given the fact that it has turned out to be an entirely macabre affair borne out of her deep resentment to the sexual perversion of men, specifically rapists. The miserable life background of the narrator herself is a foreshadowing testament to her extremely brutal persona, with the erratic nature of her father, the rape-slaughter of her “best friend” sister Julie, and the suicide of her mother all contributing to her highly traumatic experience (Klause 51-68). Several symbols have come to characterize the full-fledged bloody affair the narrator has initiated throughout the story – her teddy bear, for instance, had been the only thing she brought and snuggled to bed, up the extent that she used it to conceal the knife, her signature weapon, she used to kill the person who raped Julie, Scott. The skimpy outfits the narrator wore is a striking feature useful for her goal to seduce the men she chooses to prey on. The knife stands for the very weapon that characterizes the emancipation of the narrator from innocence, having been very useful for slaughtering men. Towards the end, the narrator spoke of her fulfillment in avenging Julie, as she basked in nighttime winter watching over her grave following her murder of Scott (Klause 51-68). Overall, deep-seated revenge stands as the central theme of the story.

Sunbleached by Nathan Ballingrud

The challenging discussion Joshua had with a vampire in the opening of Sunbleached, who used to be a former farm hand victimized alongside his colleagues by what appeared to him as a quiet yet disturbed little boy, stands as a foreshadowing to the story. Joshua, who was raised a Baptist, was challenged by the vampire on his belief in God. Yet, Joshua ultimately succumbed at raising the opportunity to attack the boyfriend of his mother, Tyler, who she deeply resented, with the help of the vampire. Such backfired badly as he became the victim of the vampire himself (Ballingrud ch. 3). Symbolisms such as the longing of Michael, the younger brother of Joshua, for their father, the constant interference of the vampire in their lives and their hatred towards Tyler is symbolic of their longing for their father, whose absence in light of the storm that devastated their area has left them needing the support of more than just their hardworking mother (Ballingrud ch. 3). As the story ended, however, the vampire eventually overcame the entirety of the household of Joshua, killing his mother and Michael with their blood drained for food in the process and leaving their home destroyed. After Joshua was bitten by the vampire, he became one himself (Ballingrud ch. 3). The advantageous nature of the vampire characterized the central theme of this story, which is the desire of Joshua and his family to move on from their storm-struck misery.

Works Cited

Ballingrud, Nathan. "Sunbleached." North American Lake Monsters: Stories (Kindle Edition). Ed. Nathan Ballingrud. Easthampton, MA: Small Beer Press, 2013. Kindle file.
Klause, Annette Curtis. "Kissing Dead Boys." The Restless Dead: Ten Original Stories of the Supernatural. Ed. Deborah Noyes. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2007. 51-68. Print.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. United Kingdom: Dover Publications, 2000. Print.