# How does The Portent develop the theme of Second Sight and the Supernatural?

> The Portent by George MacDonald

## Answer

The Portent by George MacDonald develops Second Sight and the Supernatural across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

The narrative is built around the Highland belief in 'second sight' and other psychic phenomena, such as prophetic visions, somnambulism, and the ability to influence others through willpower, which shape the characters' fates and relationships.

The dedication explicitly mentions the story is founded on 'The Second Sight,' a supernatural belief.

The chapter explicitly introduces the theme of second sight as a central element of the narrative.

The narrator's unusual hearing and fear of sounds are linked to the ancestral gift of second sight, suggesting a supernatural inheritance.

## Evidence

- [dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/dedication.md): The dedication explicitly mentions the story is founded on 'The Second Sight,' a supernatural belief.
- [the-portent](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/the-portent.md): The chapter explicitly introduces the theme of second sight as a central element of the narrative.
- [i-my-boyhood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/i-my-boyhood.md): The narrator's unusual hearing and fear of sounds are linked to the ancestral gift of second sight, suggesting a supernatural inheritance.
- [ii-the-second-hearing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/ii-the-second-hearing.md): The nurse's trance and her reaction to the mysterious sound highlight the supernatural elements and the belief in prophetic visions.
- [iii-my-old-nurses-story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/iii-my-old-nurses-story.md): Margaret demonstrates second sight by seeing the phantom horseman and predicting Duncan's future wounding. The legend of the doomed rider and the portent of the broken horseshoe are central to the chapter.
- [vii-the-library](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/vii-the-library.md): Lady Alice's inexplicable appearance and fearful gaze at the library door hints at supernatural elements.
- [viii-the-somnambulist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/viii-the-somnambulist.md): The narrator's inexplicable impulse and the mysterious galloping horse suggest supernatural elements and heightened perception.
- [ix-the-first-waking](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/ix-the-first-waking.md): The recurring sound of the horse with the clanking shoe, which only Duncan and Lady Alice can hear, underscores the supernatural elements of the narrative.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/questions/how-second-sight-and-the-supernatural
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se
- All questions: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_portent_se/questions