History Foreshadowing / Literature

* ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'': In ''The Warrior's Apprentice'', Miles [[BlackHumor says at one point]] that there is almost enough medical data to build him a new body. He needn't have bothered with the almost, for later on, his [[CloningBlues clone-brother]] enters the scene.

** When Elijah Knight is first introduced, he is able to skip the Adventurer's Guild exam due to having some sort of special status. This is in sharp contrast to Lucas Wykes, an adventurer the same age who still had to take the exam in spite of his family being rich and powerful enough to pull the necessary strings to have him skip it. After the exams, it is noted that what little is known about Elijah's MysteriousPast is that he was raised among the dwarves, and that the person backing him was responsible for him bypassing the exam. Later on, it is revealed that the dwarves have been heavily compromised by the Alacryan spy network and many of its nobles are willing LesCollaborateurs, including Elijah's guardian Rahdeas. There is also the fact that he is able to [[ExtraOreDinary manipulate metal]], a form of magic only demonstrated by servants of the Vritra such as Kai Crestless and Uto. Considering where Elijah grew up in, his powers, and how little is known of his past, it is safe to say he has a major connection with the Alacryans and their Vritra overlords.
*** The {{Webcomic}} version is less subtle about his true identity through a few specific CallForward[=s=]: At one point, [[spoiler:he is able to perceive Arthur as King Grey, causing him to be briefly overwhelmed by his true identity's hatred of Grey]]. On a more subtle note, there is a moment where Elijah tells Arthur he joined a club to pick up girls, to which Arthur remarks "Were you deprived of love in your past life or something?", alluding to [[spoiler:the incident that led to Nico turning against Grey: The latter's [[SuicideByCop apparent murder]] of the former's fiancee (and their shared ChildhoodFriendLoveInterest) Cecilia in a duel]].
** When compared to other dragons regardless of form, Sylvie is noted to appear rather differently from the rest. Dragons normally have pale white skin/scales and hair, but Sylvie has black scales and hair on top of having a prominent set of horns; [[spoiler:while in her human form she does have light blonde hair, she does keep her horns when the other dragons do not]]. What else tends to have black skin and horns? [[spoiler:The Vritra and anything that has their blood in it, foreshadowing that she is not only part Vritra, but the daughter of Agrona himself]].
** The conversation Arthur has with Rinia before he and Tessia return to Xyrus harbors several hints towards future developments in the story, in particular once the CerebusSyndrome kicks in. Appropriate, considering Rinia is a [[{{Seers}} diviner]].
*** Before she goes into telling Arthur about his future, she brings up how her sister (and Virion's wife) Lania died to illustrate how her powers as a diviner are CastFromLifespan. In trying to save Virion from being assassinated, Lania kept looking into the future in order to stall for time so that the war between Sapin and Elenoir could come to a close. By the time that war ended, Lania had burnt up so much of her lifespan she died a few weeks after its conclusion. In the end, [[spoiler:Rinia met the same fate as her sister. Even as the war slowly turned against Dicathen and the Alacryans conquered the continent, Rinia kept using her powers to find an outcome where the Dicathians would survive and eventually retake their homeland. She does not live to see that outcome, as Kezess sends an lone Asura to purge the Dicathian resistance for going against his plans, which forces her to use up the very last of her lifespan to show Arthur how to defeat said Asura (on top of having been struck down by said Asura beforehand)]].

*** In looking into Arthur's future, she notes that she "might have made some rather troublesome enemies", which has been why she has been living as a hermit. Her seclusion becomes understandable once the true nature of the DivineConflict that drives the story comes to light as [[spoiler:[[GodAndSatanAreBothJerks both sides]] would have viewed her as a wild card and would have wanted her dead for their own reasons. On one hand, Agrona and the Vritra seek to master fate itself as a means to win the war, which led them to into uncovering the secrets of reincarnation. On the other hand, it is revealed in the climax of Volume 9 that she learned her divination arts from Mordain, an Asura who was exiled and UnPerson[=ed=] from Epheotus after he stood against the Indrath for committing genocide upon the {{Djinn}}. Naturally her being an associate with a persona non grata in Asuran society made her a prime target for assassination, as when Kezess orders the extermination of the Dicathian resistance, Rinia is singled out for elimination]].

** At the end of Volume 6, Agrona is able to contact Arthur through the latter's bond Sylvie after [[spoiler:she finally assumed her human form]]. This conversation serves to foreshadow several different reveals later on. Agrona not only reveals that he is aware of Arthur's past life as King Grey, but says that he has been in contact with "an old friend" of his. Not only does this hint at [[spoiler:Elijah/Nico, but it also hints that Agrona was responsible for both his and Arthur's reincarnatiosn in the first place]]. In addition, the fact he was able to hijack Sylvie is a major hint towards [[spoiler:[[LukeIAmYourFather him being her father]]]].
** At the start of Volume 7, the imprisoned Rahdeas calls for Arthur so he can recite a specific poem for him. The poem not only eerily parallels Arthur's childhood and alludes to him being reincarnated, but one of its verses goes as follows: "What happens when your foe, who has crossed both time and space, is actually brighter than thee?" Given how Rahdeas is a servant of Agrona, it serves to hint not only how [[spoiler:Agrona is behind for Arthur's reincarnation in the first place, but has the whole war in the palm of his hand]].
** It is noted that there is something unusual about the Beast Will that Arthur extracts from the Elderwood Guardian and later gives to Tessia. Namely, she frequently experiences intense difficulty and PowerIncontinence attempting to assimilate the Beast Will, and Virion notes that there is a possibility the Elderwood Guardian might have been mutated. Sure enough, it turns out the Elderwood Guardian Arthur slew [[spoiler: was in fact a failed Vritra experiment. This revelation plays a major role in the climax of Volume 7, as it means Agrona has control over Tessia's life which he uses to [[TheCommiesMadeMeDoIt blackmail her parents]] into letting his forces into the Council Castle at the close of the war]].

** In Canto 9, Virgil tells Dante that shortly after his death, Erictho forced him to retrieve a soul from the "the circle of Judas". It turns out that he was referring to Judecca, the lowest region of the Ninth Circle of Hell and is named after Judas Iscariot.

** In Canto 9, Virgil tells Dante that shortly after his death, Erictho forced him to retrieve a soul from the "the circle of Judas", and it turns out that the lowest part of the Ninth Circle is named after Judas (Judecca).

** At the beginning of Inferno, Virgil tells the protagonist about how Jesus came to Limbo and took many of the Old Testament biblical figures to heaven, including Adam. Two-thirds of the way through Paradiso, our protagonist meets Adam as he describes how long he had to wait in Hell before being saved.

** In the beginning of ''Inferno'', Virgil tells the protagonist about how UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} came to Limbo and took many of the Jews up into Heaven, including Adam. Two thirds of the way through ''Paradiso'', our protagonist meets Adam as he describes how long he had to wait in Hell before being saved.
** In the fifth canto, one of the lustful mentions her husband-murderer will be punished in a part of Hell called "Caïna." It takes until the 32nd canto for Dante to arrive there and see that it's a region of the final circle where the traitors of family are punished.
** Halfway through ''Inferno'', Virgil explains that all the rivers of all deposit at the bottom to form Lake Cocytus, but stops describing it since they'll get there later. Needless to say, the last circle damns traitors to suffer in the bitterly frozen Lake of Cocytus.

** When Elijah Knight is first introduced, he is able to skip the Adventurer's Guild exam due to having some sort of special status. This is in sharp contrast to Lucas Wykes, an adventurer the same age who still had to take the exam in spite of his family being rich and powerful enough to pull the necessary strings to have him skip it. After the exams, it is noted that what little is known about Elijah's MysteriousPast is that he was raised among the dwarves, and that the person backing him was responsible for him bypassing the exam. Later on, it is revealed that the dwarves have been heavily compromised by the Alacryan spy network and many of its nobles are willing LesCollaborateurs, including Elijah's guardian Rahdeas. There is also the fact that he is able to [[ExtraOreDinary manipulate metal]], a form of magic only demonstrated by servants of the Vritra such as Kai Crestless and Uto. Considering where Elijah grew up in, his powers, and how little is known of his past, it is safe to say he has some connection with the Alacryans and their Vritra overlords.
*** The {{Webcomic}} version is less subtle about his true identity through a few specific CallForward[=s=]: At one point, [[spoiler:he is able to perceive Arthur as King Grey, causing him to be briefly overwhelmed by his true identity's hatred of Grey]]. In addition, there is a moment where Elijah tells Arthur he joined a club to pick up girls, to which Arthur remarks "Were you deprived of love in your past life or something?", alluding to incident that led to [[spoiler:Nico turning against Grey: The latter's [[SuicideByCop apparent murder]] of the former's fiancee (and their shared ChildhoodFriendLoveInterest) Cecilia in a duel]].

*** Before she goes into telling Arthur about his future, she brings up how her sister (and Virion's wife) Lania died to illustrate how her powers as a diviner are CastFromLifespan. In trying to save Virion from being assassinated, Lania kept looking into the future in order to stall for time so that the war between Sapin and Elenoir could come to a close. By the time the King of Sapin was overthrown, bringing an end to a war, Lania had burnt up so much of her lifespan she died a few weeks after its conclusion. In the end, [[spoiler:Rinia met the same fate as her sister. Even as the war slowly turned against Dicathen and the Alacryans conquered the continent, Rinia kept using her powers to find an outcome where the Dicathians would survive and eventually triumph. She does not live to see that outcome, as Kezess sends an lone Asura to purge the Dicathian resistance for going against his plans, which forces her to use up the very last of her lifespan to show Arthur how to defeat said Asura (on top of having been struck down by said Asura beforehand)]].

*** The {{Webcomic}} version is less subtle about his true identity through one very specific CallForward: At one point, [[spoiler:he is able to perceive Arthur as King Grey, causing him to be briefly overwhelmed by his true identity's hatred of Grey]].
** When compared to other dragons regardless of form, Sylvie is noted to appear rather differently from the rest. Dragons normally have pale white skin/scales and hair, but Sylvie has black scales and hair on top of having a prominent set of horns ([[spoiler:though in her human form she does have light blonde hair]]). What else tends to have black skin and horns? [[spoiler:The Vritra and anything that has their blood in it, foreshadowing that she is not only part Vritra, but the daughter of Agrona himself]].

*** Before she goes into telling Arthur about his future, she brings up how her sister (and Virion's wife) Lania died to illustrate how her powers as a diviner are CastFromLifespan. In trying to save Virion from being assassinated, Lania kept looking into the future in order to stall for time so that the war between Sapin and Elenoir could come to a close. By the time the King of Sapin was overthrown, bringing an end to a war, Lania had burnt up so much of her lifespan she died a few weeks after its conclusion. In the end, [[spoiler:Rinia met the same fate as her sister. Even as the war slowly turned against Dicathen and the Alacryans conquered the continent, Rinia kept using her powers to find an outcome where the Dicathians would survive. She does not live to see that outcome, as Kezess sends an lone Asura to purge the Dicathian resistance for going against his plans, which forces her to use the very last of her lifespan to show Arthur how to defeat said Asura]].

*** In looking into Arthur's future, she notes that she "might have made some rather troublesome enemies", which has been why she has been living as a hermit. Her seclusion becomes understandable once the true nature of the DivineConflict that drives the story comes to light as [[spoiler:[[GodAndSatanAreBothJerks both sides]] would have viewed her as a wild card and would have wanted her dead for their own reasons. On one hand, Agrona and the Vritra seek to master fate itself as a means to win the war, which led them to into uncovering the secrets of reincarnation. On the other hand, it is revealed in the climax of Volume 9 that she learned her divination arts from Mordain, an Asura who was exiled and UnPerson[=ed=] from Epheotus after he stood against the Indrath for committing genocide upon the {{Djinn}}. Naturally her being an associate with a persona non grata in Asuran society made her a prime target for assassination, as when Kezess sends Taci to purge the Dicathian resistance, Rinia is singled out for elimination]].

** At the end of Volume 6, Agrona is able to contact Arthur through the latter's bond Sylvie after [[spoiler:she finally assumed her human form]]. This conversation serves to foreshadow several different reveals later on. Agrona not only reveals that he is aware of Arthur's past life as King Grey, but says that he has been in contact with "an old friend" of his. Not only does this hint at [[spoiler:Elijah/Nico, but it also hints that Agrona was responsible for him and Arthur's reincarnation in the first place]]. In addition, the fact he was able to hijack Sylvie is a major hint towards [[spoiler:[[LukeIAmYourFather him being her father]]]].

** At one point in Volume 10, Arthur ponders how [[spoiler:he is an instance of CreateYourOwnHero on Agrona's part in that through some unknown factor, his reincarnation did not go according to Agrona's plan. He then notes how thanks to Agrona's own daughter Sylvie, he was given the power to stand up against him]]. The end of the volume reveals that the second statement is more literal than he would have expected. After [[spoiler:her HeroicSacrifice at the end of Volume 7, Sylvie's spirit was displaced across time and space to observe Arthur's past life as King Grey. At the moment Agrona was about to reincarnate Grey's soul into his vessel of choice, she snatched Grey's soul and brought it to the Leywin family to be reincarnated into Arthur]].

** At the end of Volume 6, Agrona is able to contact Arthur through the latter's bond Sylvie after [[spoiler:she finally assumed her human form]]. This conversation serves to foreshadow several different reveals later on. Agrona not only reveals that he is aware of Arthur's past life as King Grey, but says that he has been in contact with "an old friend" of his. Not only does this hint at [[spoiler:Elijah/Nico, but it also hints that Agrona was responsible for Arthur's reincarnation in the first place]]. In addition, the fact he was able to hijack Sylvie is a major hint towards [[spoiler:[[LukeIAmYourFather him being her father]]]].

** The conversation Arthur has with Rinia before he and Tessia return to Xyrus harbors several hints towards future developments in the story. Appropriate, considering Rinia is a [[{{Seers}} diviner]].
*** She brings up how she was getting many glimpses of Arthur before she met him, which she notes has never happened before. She hypothesizes that "Dicathen is entering a new era" and Arthur "always seems to be at its epicenter". Sure enough, it turns out that she was already aware of Arthur's past life as King Grey.
*** In looking into Arthur's future, she notes that she "might have made some rather troublesome enemies", which has been why she has been living as a hermit. Her seclusion becomes understandable once the true nature of the DivineConflict that drives the story comes to light as [[spoiler:[[GodAndSatanAreBothJerks both sides]] would have wanted her dead for their own reasons. One one hand, Agrona and the Vritra seek to master fate itself as a means to win the war, which led them to into uncovering the secrets of reincarnation. On the other hand, it is revealed in the climax of Volume 9 that she learned her divination arts from Mordain, an Asura who was exiled and UnPerson[=ed=] from Epheotus after he stood against the Indrath for committing genocide upon the {{Djinn}}. Naturally her being an associate with a persona non grata in Asuran society made her a prime target for assassination, as when Kezess sends Taci to purge the Dicathian resistance, Rinia is singled out for elimination]].

** When Elijah Knight is first introduced, he is able to skip the Adventurer's Guild exam due to having some sort of special status. This is in sharp contrast to Lucas Wykes, an adventurer the same age who still had to take the exam in spite of his family being rich and powerful enough to pull the necessary strings to have him skip it. After the exams, it is noted that what little is known about Elijah's MysteriousPast is that he was raised among the dwarves, and that the person backing him was responsible for him bypassing the exam. Later on, it is revealed that the dwarves have been heavily compromised by the Alacryan spy network and many of its nobles are willing LesCollaborateurs, including Elijah's guardian Rahdeas. Considering where Elijah grew up in and how little is known of his past, it is safe to say he has some connection with the Alacryans and their Vritra overlords. There is also the fact that [[BigBad Agrona]], the Lord of the Vritra, not only knows of Arthur's past life of King Grey but says that he has been in contact with "an old friend" of his at the end of Volume 6. It is revealed that [[spoiler:Elijah is not just any Alacryan ManchurianAgent. He is in fact Nico, the EvilFormerFriend of Grey who has been working with Agrona to exact his vendetta on Arthur/Grey]].

** When Elijah Knight is first introduced, he is able to skip the Adventurer's Guild exam due to having some sort of special status. This is in sharp contrast to Lucas Wykes, an adventurer the same age who still had to take the exam in spite of his family being rich and powerful enough to pull the necessary strings to have him skip it. After the exams, it is noted that what little is known about Elijah's MysteriousPast is that he was raised among the dwarves, and that the person backing him was responsible for him bypassing the exam. Later on, it is revealed that the dwarves have been heavily compromised by the Alacryan spy network and many of its nobles are willing LesCollaborateurs, including Elijah's guardian Rahdeas. Considering where Elijah grew up in and how little is known of his past, it is safe to say he has some connection with the Alacryans and their Vritra overlords. There is also the fact that [[BigBad Agrona]], the Lord of the Vritra, not only knows of Arthur's past life of King Grey, but says that he has been in contact with "an old friend" of his. It is revealed that [[spoiler:Elijah is not just any Alacryan ManchurianAgent. He is in fact Nico, the EvilFormerFriend of Arthur's past life King Gre, who has been working with Agrona to exact his vendetta on Arthur/Grey]].
*** The webcomic version is less subtle about his true identity through one very specific CallForward: At one point, [[spoiler:he is able to perceive Arthur as King Grey, causing him to be overwhelmed by his true identity's hatred of Grey]].
** It is frequently noted that there is something unusual about the Beast Will that Arthur extracts from the Elderwood Guardian and later gives to Tessia. Namely, she frequently experiences intense difficulty and PowerIncontinence attempting to assimilate the Beast Will, and Virion notes that there is a possibility the Elderwood Guardian might have been mutated. Sure enough, it turns out the Elderwood Guardian Arthur slew [[spoiler: was in fact a failed Vritra experiment. This revelation plays a major role in the climax of Volume 7, as it means Agrona has control over Tessia's life which he uses to [[TheCommiesMadeMeDoIt blackmail her parents]] into letting his forces into the Council Castle at the close of the war]].
** At one point in Volume 10, Arthur ponders how [[spoiler:he is an instance of CreateYourOwnHero on Agrona's part in that through some unknown factor, his reincarnation did not go according to Agrona's plan. He then notes how thanks to Agrona's own daughter Sylvie, he was given the power to stand up against him]]. The end of the volume reveals that the second statement is that missing factor. After [[spoiler:her HeroicSacrifice at the end of Volume 7, Sylvie's spirit was displaced across time and space to observe Arthur's past life as King Grey. At the moment Agrona was about to reincarnate Grey's soul into his vessel of choice, she snatched Grey's soul and brought it to the Leywin family to be reincarnated into Arthur]].

** When Elijah Knight is first introduced, he is able to skip the Adventurer's Guild exam due to having some sort of special status. This is in sharp contrast to Lucas Wykes, an adventurer the same age who still had to take the exam in spite of his family being rich and powerful enough to pull the necessary strings to have him skip it. After the exams, it is noted that what little is known about Elijah's MysteriousPast is that he was raised among the dwarves, and that the person backing him was responsible for him bypassing the exam. Later on, it is revealed that the dwarves have been heavily compromised by the Alacryan spy network and many of its nobles are willing LesCollaborateurs, including Elijah's guardian Rahdeas. Considering where Elijah grew up in and how little is known of his past, it is safe to say he has some connection with the Alacryans and their Vritra overlords. There is also the fact that Agrona, the Lord of the Vritra, not only knows of Arthur's past life of King Grey, but says that he has been in contact with "an old friend" of his. Sure enough, it is revealed that [[spoiler:Elijah is not just any Alacryan ManchurianAgent. He is in fact Nico, the EvilFormerFriend of Arthur's past life King Grey, who has been working with Agrona to exact his vendetta on Arthur/Grey]].
*** The webcomic version is less subtle about his true identity through one very specific CallForward: At one point, [[spoiler:he is able to perceive Arthur as King Grey, causing him to be overwhelmed by]].

* ''Literature/AStudyInEmerald'':
** The story is chock-full of clues to the big twist, namely that [[spoiler:the Narrator and the Detective are not Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor James Watson, but rather Professor James Moriarty and Colonel Sebastian Moran.]]
** The narrator, early on, launches into a PurpleProse-laden monologue, and then excuses himself with "I am not a literary man." [[spoiler: While this could easily be a bluff man-of-action's self-deprecation, Watson most definitely ''was'' a literary man; he is the in-universe author of the "Sherlock Holmes" stories! Moran, on the other hand, was never noted to have any artistic inclinations.]]
** The narrator also laments that he was "... a deadshot, perhaps even something of a marksman..." before he was tortured, and could no longer shoot because his shoulder never healed properly. [[spoiler: Watson was by no means a bad hand with a gun, and was frequently called on to be Holmes' back-up gun. However, his skills were never described as exceptional. Moran, meanwhile, was one of the top dozen marksmen in the British Empire.]]
** The narrator was left with a phobia of caves that meant he "... would gladly pay sixpence of [his] Army pension for a Hansom cab, rather than a penny to travel underground." [[spoiler: Watson, who was a practicing doctor, would have gotten a pension from the Army too, but would have made enough money as a physician in civilian practice to make cab fare a non-issue. Moran, who was an officer, sniper and hunter by trade, would have had no other income without his gun skills, and shelling out for a cab regularly might well become a financial problem for him.]]
** When the Narrator and the Detective decide to share apartments, they mention several things about themselves that might annoy the other. [[spoiler: The Detective never mentions a violin, and the Narrator does not have a dog.]]
** The Detective is just as brilliant as he is in most adaptations, but significantly more short-tempered and abrasive. [[spoiler: It's not just the darkness of the setting, but another clue to the Detective's identity.]]
** The Detective's writings are shown. [[spoiler: They are not Holmes' eclectic monographs, but rather Moriarty's mathematical papers. Holmes was interested in a wide variety of topics, but never pure mathematics. Moriarty, on the other hand, was a professor of Mathematics.]]
** When the Narrator and Detective go off to confront the villain, they do so under the aliases "Henry Camberley" and "Mister Sebastian", and in order to get a sample of the villain's tobacco ash (an important clue), the Detective brings a new pipe and no tobacco. [[spoiler: Holmes was a prolific smoker, and while he switched over to cigarettes fairly early on, he did own a pipe. Moriarty was never associated with tobacco use. Also, "Sebastian" is hardly an alias, it's the Narrator's name.]]

* The lovely thing about the ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' novels is the anachronistic order which it's presented. There are foreshadows almost everywhere. For example, in ''Snow Mountain Syndrome'', Kyon casually mentions a crazy ex-classmate who wanted to confess to Nagato. In the next novel, there's a story about it. The best foreshadow was from the first book, ''Melancholy'', where Kunikuda mentioned that Kyon liked strange girls, and Kyon protests, claiming that she was just a good friend, and nothing more. In the ninth novel, Sasaki is introduced, and she IS strange enough to have her own anti-SOS Brigade.

* ''Literature/QualiaThePurple':

* ''Literature/SeventeenAndGone'' drops many hints that something isn't quite right early on, as Laura's visions result in her losing time and stripping in the snow, she begins to obsess over the missing girls, and all of her dreams get more complicated and confusing over time—all signs of a mental illness.

** The narrator, early on, launches into a PurpleProse-laden monologue, and then excuses himself with "I am not a literary man. [[spoiler: While this could easily be a bluff man-of-action's self-deprecation, Watson most definitely ''was'' a literary man; he is the in-universe author of the "Sherlock Holmes" stories! Moran, on the other hand, was never noted to have any artistic inclinations.]]

* When Crikin hands her the Mystical Reins Enhanced Armament, Black Lotus rejects it, saying she has no use for it. He insists, including mentioning some enemies that could be tamed with it( flying horses). Mana also suggests that she would soon have need of it. [[spoiler:In the next to last episode, her Big Damn Heroes moment comes with her riding in on, you guessed it, a flying horse]].
* In the first volume, Taku casually mentions Haru getting "the Chii special" for Lunch (the lunch that Haru had refused), even though he shouldn't have known about that. Chiyu later denies telling Taku about Haru being bullied, (something she'd learned about from Haru, but he insisted that she not tell Taku). Both of these foreshadow that [[spoiler:Taku has a backdoor program in Chiyu's Neurolinker and is spying on her]].
* When discussing her "parent"- the person who installed Brain Burst on her Neurolinker, which requires a close relationship in the real world- Kuroyukihime mentions how she utterly hates that person, but due to the nature of their relationship, she can't fight against them. When later talking about the three healer types- Chiyuri, someone who left the Accelerated world and the White King- Kuroyukihime says she doesn't want Haruyuki to get anywhere near the latter individual. As you can likely tell from Kuroyukihime's similar disdain for both individuals, [[spoiler:they're actually one and the same, as White Cosmos, the White King, is Kuroyukihime's parent]].

* The novel ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' spends an entire chapter detailing local racist Bob Ewell's attempts at getting revenge on everyone he blames for being outed as a liar (he had beaten his daughter after catching her trying to seduce a black man and forced her to accuse the innocent man of rape. Despite evidence of his innocence, the man was convicted and fatally shot trying to escape.), stalking the man's widow, the trial judge, and explicitly threatening the man's lawyer, Atticus Finch. In the next chapter, as Atticus' children prepare to go to a Halloween party, their aunt mentions an uneasy feeling, "Something just walked over my grave". The children are viciously attacked by Ewell on their way home, and it is all but stated that they would have been killed had someone not heard their screams and come to help.

** During an early interview with one of the witnesses, Jack just assumes the bank robber to be a male, prompting the question, "What, so only men can be bank robbers?" [[spoiler:Basically handing the "twist" to the reader on a silver platter. The bank robber ''is'' a woman. Also note that the narration never actually refers to the bank robber as "he" or "him," just "the bank robber.]]