Walk Two Moons Foreshadowing
By: Claire Miller
Summary of the Book
Sharon Creech's novel Walk Two Moons is about a 13 year-old girl named Sal. While traveling to Lewiston, Idaho to visit her mothers grave, Sal tells a story about Phoebe Winterbottom and a lunatic as her own story unfolds.
Thesis Statement
Throughout the novel Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech uses foreshadowing to leave hints for the reader to figure them out while reading the story.
First Event: Mike is Mrs. Winterbottom's son
One of the events foreshadowed in the novel is that Mrs. Winterbottom's son is Mike. The first time that Creech hints this is when he goes to Phoebe's house and asks for Mrs. Winterbottom. "'I want to see Mrs. Winterbottom. Is she here or what?'" (Creech 43). Another time that she hints this is when Phoebe and Sal sneak into Mrs. Cadavers house and Mrs. Partridge said she met Phoebes brother. "'Oh, Phoebe, I think I met your brother.' Phoebe said, 'I don't have a brother.'" (Creech 193). Later in the book, Mike was seen at a college kissing and hugging Mrs. Winterbottom."On the far side of the lawn, I saw two people, a young man and an older woman,. They were holding hands. She turned to him and kissed his cheek. 'Phoebe-' On the bench was Phoebes mother, and she was kissing the lunatic." (Creech 235). The reader was led to believe that Mike was a potential lunatic because Phoebe and Sal thought that. However, once Mrs. Partridge said that she saw Phoebe's brother, the reader was confused because they thought that she didn't have a brother. But once the reader was told that Phoebe and Sal saw Phoebes mom and Mike hugging and kissing, we inferred that Mike could be a son to Mrs. Winterbottom. Sharon Creech used foreshadowing for this event to keep the reader interested and trick everyone into thinking one thing instead of another.
Second Event: Sal's Mom Dies in a Bus Crash
Another one of the events foreshadowed by Sharon Creech is that Sal's mom dies in a bus crash. The first time that Creech uses this is when she states that Sal is terrified of car accidents. "I, Salamanca Tree Hiddle, was afraid of lots and lots of things. For example, I was terrified of car accidents, death, nuclear war, pregnant women, cancer, brain tumors, loud noises, strict teachers and scads of other things." (Creech 13 & 14). The second time that this comes up is when Sal sees a site in Lewiston where a bus accident occurred. "'A bus went off the road here a year or more ago,' he said. 'Skidded right there coming out of that last turn, and went sliding into this here overlook and on through the railing and rolled over and over into those trees. Only one person survived, ya know?' I knew." (Creech 262 & 263).The third time where Creech used foreshadowing was when Sal explained why they were going to Lewiston. "Gram and Gramps wanted to see Momma, who was resting peacefully in Idaho." (Creech 5). The reader was led to believe that Sals mom was alive and well because Sal was going to visit her. But once Sal kept talking about how scared she was of buses and car accidents, this leads the reader to think that maybe Sals mom died in a car accident because why would Creech keep mentioning buses and cars? Then, once the reader was told that there was a bus accident in Lewiston, Idaho and that there was only one survivor, the reader inferred that Sals mom wasn't alive based on all of the information we had. Once again, Sharon Creech uses foreshadowing to leave hints for the reader to try to figure them out in the end.