Foil

Character Role Analysis

Virginia and Dr. Shreves

You might think this would be Virginia and Byron, but go with us here. A foil pair is a set of characters that reveals themselves through their similarities and differences. Case in point: Dr. Shreves used to be fat, but now she's thin, so she wants Virginia to be, too. And Virginia goes on a diet to please her mom, but realizes that what she really wants to do is stop trying to please her. Plus Virginia's brave enough to dye her hair, but Dr. Shreves only wishes she could have been.

In other words, put these two side by side and you can't help but appreciate them more fully by seeing who they are—and who they're not—more clearly.