Foil

Character Role Analysis

The narrator and the comrade

Opposites attract, right? Or, they find themselves crossing paths while one helps the other along to the next leg in his journey. Though we know only a little about each of these dudes, we largely understand them in contrast to each other. The narrator loves Mantegna; the comrade loathes the old painter. The comrade is confident in a communist revolution; the narrator wouldn't put any of his eggs in that basket. It ain't much, but we definitely understand each of these characters better for their contrast with each other.