OTHER 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.) The story of the plane being hijacked from Baskul and never returning prepares us for Conway's story of Shangri-La.


2.) Rutherford's comment that he has seen strange things in his travels foreshadows the strange story of Shangri-La.


3.) Conway's playing of the Chopin piece prepares us for the lama who........

.........13.) Conway's wisdom, gained as a result of his war experiences, foreshadows how the High Lama will name him the new High Lama.

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.) Just as the travelers finally all agree to the plan to save themselves after the plane crashes, they see coming down a faraway slope the figures of men.

2.) It's ironic that Chang says that he has to take care of himself, because he's.........

.........10.) The High Lama's predictions for the future are also ironic in that we, who are reading this in 2006, know how the world fell into the worst war in history. Yet James Hilton, the author, is writing this from the year 1933, before the horrors of WWII occurred. He has the same premonition as the character he has created.

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.