It is quite common for authors to foreshadow events through the inclusion of small details that allow the reader to make assumptions and predict how the author intends to move forward with his novel. Nathaniel Hawthorne, being an excellent example, provided such details throughout his novel, The Scarlet Letter. What some might pass off as minutiae, such as the biblical allusion, an extended metaphor, or the irony in chapter 22, others might interpret as an indication of what will happen in the next chapters. Some details are easily overlooked. Therefore, the reader may be required to read deeper or even research a specific situation, such as a government event, to better understand its meaning. Through careful analysis of some indiscernible, but underlying details, someone can foreshadow the events in the next chapter. . An example from The Scarlet Letter, which is not easily identifiable, is the biblical allusion. In chapter 22, Mistress Hibbins, an older woman who is assigned the role of witch, addresses young Pearl by saying, "They say, child, that you are of the line of the Prince of Air!" (237). Hibbins, who is supposedly irreligious, uses the devil's name as it appears in Ephesians 2:2, a New Testament book. This expression, coming from an alleged witch, is a little out of place, and makes the reader suspicious. We can probably, however, attach no significance to this announcement made by Mistress Hibbins. It may be that mentioning the devil's name as it appears in the Bible is just a coincidence. On the other hand, one could speculate that, through the devil's power and Pearl's presence, something important could happen. This conjecture is at the heart of the article...l Hawthorne's rhetorical strategies are of great importance to the novel. While some strategies are used to emphasize a certain event, others are intended to foreshadow one. His rhetorical strategies help illustrate a unification and connection between occasions that, when taken alone, may not seem that significant to the reader. Hawthorne's foreshadowing serves as mitigation, because the reader will know what to expect in the upcoming chapters; their surprise will be stifled by previously achieved knowledge. Therefore, Hawthorne uses rhetorical devices to foreshadow and alleviate the reader's reaction. Works Cited Earnest, Jim and Anita Earnest. “Bird Spirits.” Meanings of animals and birds. Trade of All Nations, 2012. Web. 02 May 2014.Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The procession." The Scarlet Letter. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 1989. 231-42. Press.