Foil is a literary device which enables readers to appreciate the protagonist’s strengths and virtues through comparison and contrast with a supportive character, writes Roopa Banerjee

PW readers can surely recall at least few movies/books featuring an exceptionally intelligent protagonist who is always accompanied by a person not too smart. For instance, in the popular Hindi television series of the 1980s, Karamchand, the eponymous detective’s assistant was the dim-witted Kitty. This invariably made Karamchand seem doubly smarter to the audience. This characters contrast is an age-old technique used in literature and is known as foil.

Foil is a literary device which enables readers/viewers to appreciate the protagonist’s virtues and strengths through the comparison and contrast with a suportive character. Juxtaposing the foil and lead character draws the readers’ attention to the lead’s attributes. The term foil is taken from an old jewellery trick of setting a gem on a foil base to enhance its shine.

However a foil is not an antagonist or villain. While an antagonist deliberately hinders the protagonist from achieving her goals, a foil shines the spotlight on the positive character traits of the lead character. A foil is often a friend of the protagonist, like Dr. Watson to Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective series.

An example of a perfect literary foil who highlights the protagonist’s virtues through contrast is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein isolates himself, driven by his obsession to create a living being. He creates a creature who yearns for companionship, thus exhibiting the human characteristics that Frankenstein lacks. This is, in effect, his own foil.

Sometimes, a foil is added to a story to explain values and motivations which lead the main characters to make different choices. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain shows Huck is guided by his moral compass, and his foil, Tom Sawyer, by a sense of adventure.

Another example of an interesting foil is Mercutio in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, without whom Romeo’s love story might just seem very ordinary. Mercutio shows a more casual approach to love and the contrast helps to enhance the intensity of Romeo’s romance.

However a foil is not always a human character. Some authors have used objects as foil. In Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë contrasts the grey and gloomy estate of Wuthering Heights with Thrushcross Grange, a grand estate that basks in golden sunshine. The contrast of the Thrushcross Grange highlights the gloom that envelops Wuthering Heights.

Sometimes, an entire story plot works as a foil. Many tragic Indian films made in the 1960s and 70s followed a pattern of having a parallel storyline of a lighter tone where the humour of secondary characters provided much-needed relief from tension of the main plot. In a different way, in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the stories of Laertes and Fortinbras are subplots working as foils to Hamlet. All three want to avenge the murders of their fathers. While Hamlet writes a play to get his uncle to confess, Fortinbras and Laertes take up arms to seek revenge.

The most famous foils in modern literature are in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. As Dumbledore is the foil to Voldemort, so is Draco Malfoy to Harry Potter. Although both Draco and Harry are wizards, Malfoy’s joy in evil intent reinforces Harry’s grit to use his powers for good.

Literature abounds with foils that have made the main characters unforgettable. Some famous pairs are Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, Brutus and Cassius, Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Macbeth and Banquo.

Exercise
Many recent movies have foils such as Forrest Gump and Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump. Which films do these popular foils appear in?
1. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo
2. Munnabhai and Circuit
3. Scarlett O’Hara and Melanie Wilkes
4. Maggie and Mae
5. Celie and Shug Avery

 

Answers:
1. Star Wars series 2. Munnabhai film series
3. Gone with the Wind 4. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
5. The Colour Purple