Foil

Character Role Analysis

Tom D'Invilliers

Amory Blaine wishes he didn't care so much about what other people think; but he does. That's why he's attracted to Tom D'Invilliers when they first meet. Amory likes to think of himself as deep and poetic, but Tom is the one who actually writes poetry. There comes a point when Amory is so jealous of Tom's deep soul that he embarks on a campaign to make Tom more sensitive to the superficial everyday world.

The plan works over time, but once Tom has been turned into a "normal" person, Amory feels bad about what he's done. Go figure. The truth is that Amory is the kind of guy who'll always want what he doesn't have.