Foreshadowing in this particular piece comes as a surprise when the ending is revealed and Farquhar is actually hanging. Bierce toys with the emotions of the reader all throughout the piece, when the answer to our questions should be in plain sight. Bierce adds, “Striking through the thoughts of his dear ones, was a sound he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer.” (482) The sound he is hearing is his pocket watch which symbolizes his time running out. Bierce adds this completely for the effects of suspense and foreshadowing. Bierce knows that a ticking clock will add just the right amount of suspense to make the reader believe there may be foreshadowing behind it.
