OTHER LITERARY ELEMENTS

FORESHADOWING

There are several other literary devices that pop up at various times in the story. One of the most prevalent ones is foreshadowing which frequently presents clues of something that will happen later in the novel. Some examples of foreshadowing include:

1.) When Landon opens the story with the words that his life changed when he was seventeen years old, he is preparing us for profound events that he's never forgotten.

2.) When Landon warns us that we will laugh and we will cry, he foreshadows the loving relationship that will develop between him and Jamie...........

 

.............. 19.) The fact that Jamie has underlined one particular Psalm in her Bible foreshadows that she knows Landon will need those words to carry on in the face of her death.

IRONY

Another element that is important to note is irony - when something happens, or is seen, or is heard that we may know, but the characters do not, or that appears opposite of what is expected. Some examples of irony include:

1.) Landon promises Jamie that he won't fall in love with her if she'll go to the homecoming dance with him, but that's exactly...........

 

............6.) As winter begins to turn into spring, Landon is struck by how life comes back even as Jamie lays dying.

CREATIVE LICENSE

Another literary device used by the author is creative license. This device allows the author to imagine obviously impossible things and make the reader suspend his disbelief. Nicholas Sparks uses creative license when he has his main character, Landon, see anthropomorphic changes take place in his body and in the town he lives in, so that he is no longer imagining his past; he is actually there.

The complete study guide is currently available as a downloadable PDF, RTF, or MS Word DOC file from the PinkMonkey MonkeyNotes download store. The complete study guide contains summaries and notes for all of the chapters; detailed analysis of the themes, plot structure, and characters; important quotations and analysis; detailed analysis of symbolism, motifs, and imagery; a key facts summary; detailed analysis of the use of foreshadowing and irony; a multiple-choice quiz, and suggested book report ideas and essay topics.