The Secret Keeper

Foreshadowing, a literary device that uses an image or suggestion to hint at future events, appears frequently throughout The Secret Keeper. As well as images that foretell important moments, like the light Vivien sees as the bomb falls, Morton uses the omniscient narrator to signal when important moments are approaching. In Chapter 3, Dolly Smitham “made the decision that would prove fateful for them all” (31), though Morton doesn’t yet reveal why it matters that Dolly brings Vivien to her room in the boardinghouse, she signals its significance to the reader, building suspense and anticipation of a later reveal. In Chapter 1, Morton increases suspense surrounding the murder Laurel witnesses with the line: “The next thing happened quickly” (16). Later, during the scene when Lady Gwendolyn chokes on her candy, Morton jumps ahead of the moment to reveal the impact of what is coming: “Later, [Dolly] would look back and blame the dust for what happened next” (259). This device draws out and emphasizes important plot moments, giving the reader ample time to anticipate and acknowledge the plot twist, and also feel a sense of the story as an interconnected whole.