The use of forshadowing in a novel can help it's reader get a sense of what is to come in the story without giving away the events themselves. It is a powerful tool which prevents events from being left unexplained, leaving the reader question the effectivness of an outcome. The eventual breakdown of the character Holden Caufield in J.D. Salinger's controversial 1945 novel "The Catcher in the Rye" was foreshadowed in the early chapters of the book. The first clue is his negative approach to life. He begins by talking about his "lousy childhood ....