As writers, we use foils all the time in our writing without realizing it. A foil is when you put opposites close together in order to make one stand out more. I’ve heard that the term comes from jewelers who placed a piece of foil under a gem to make it shine brighter. While foils can include subplots, objects, and places, today I’m going to focus on foil characters.
A foil character is a supporting character who has opposite traits and goals to the protagonist. While this can be the antagonist, that is not always the case. The foil character solely exists to emphasize the protagonist’s character traits and, therefore, must to be in close proximity to the protagonist on a regular basis.
Book Examples
Harry Potter
Harry Potter’s foil is Draco Malfoy. Even in appearance, they are opposites: brunette and awkward verses blond and well put together. Harry is sweet, honest, and wants to use his magic for good. Draco is mean, conniving, and uses his magic for evil. While the same can be said of Voldemort, he can’t be Harry’s foil because he isn’t around enough to highlight Harry’s traits with his own conflicting ones. Draco works as Harry’s foil because they are constantly running into each other and Draco’s role in the story is solely to contrast with Harry.
If you remember my post about sidekicks and henchmen, Draco is a henchman who is supposed to kick Harry when he’s down. That makes him a good foil character as well because, when we see Draco belittle Harry, it heightens the pride we feel when Harry does the right thing.
Sherlock Holmes
The foil character for Sherlock Holmes is John Watson. Unlike Draco, John is a friend of Sherlock, but they are so opposite he works as a foil as well. Sherlock is intelligent, unfeeling, and brash. John is of average intelligence, compassionate, and meek. John is always around to help Sherlock with his cases so he is constantly in close proximity to Sherlock.
The cool thing about John’s character is he proves foils don’t have to be bad. It’s actually because of John that we love Sherlock—who is overall unlikeable. John narrates the stories, and, by showing his love and devotion to Sherlock, we as readers feel the same toward the detective.
Little Women
Jo March’s foil is her sister, Meg March. Jo is rash, outspoken, and career driven. Meg is thoughtful, quiet, and dreams of a family life. The author enables Jo to drive home her thoughts on marriage by having her sister embody those traits she dislikes. It doesn’t make her dislike her sister, but Jo does have to wrestle with her ideology because of the conflict.
There are other characters that clash with Jo as well, but, when identifying a foil, we have to look at proximity as well. Not only is Meg close physically to Jo throughout most of the book, but she is a close relationship—which makes it more impactful for the reader.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, foil characters are a major part of any story. They emphasize the protagonist’s character traits and make the protagonist more likable to the readers. It also makes the character more relatable since everyone knows someone who they clash with and who makes life more difficult. But we also know those people who are our opposites but make us a better person because of it. So, take the time to create at least one foil character in your story. It will be a richer story if you do.
Thanks for reading!
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