Foil

Character Role Analysis

Jim Dixon and the Welches

For this role, we nominate the entire Welch family. You could consider either the Professor or Bertrand as Jim's foil. Bertrand's a foil more in the personal sense: he's self-absorbed, haughty, loud, and, according to Jim, undeservedly lucky. He's got rich parents who help support him, which just makes us realize how Jim has no one to rely on but himself. He makes Jim look authentic and decent in comparison.

The Professor is Jim's professional foil. He's successful in his field (although how he got there is a mystery to Jim), seems to truly enjoy his work, and doesn't have to care in the least what other people think about his accomplishments. He highlights Jim's own lack of job security or confidence in his academic abilities.