Foil

Character Role Analysis

Belinda Becker and Mattie Gokey

By her own admission (and Aunt Josie's very vocal one), Mattie wouldn't win any beauty contests. And she's incredibly self-conscious about her looks, so much so that she barely believes that Royal would be interested in her. But what we love about Mattie isn't her looks, it's her mind, her intricate, complex, plainspoken thoughts and opinions, and her dreams for something bigger than she is.

By contrast, we have Belinda Becker, the blonde ditz of the community, outwardly beautiful but not a particularly complex person. Belinda knows how to flirt with boys; Mattie can barely see the point in flirting and would be too awkward if she tried. When it all boils down to it, Belinda fulfills all of the conventional roles of womanhood at the time, while Mattie fills none of them. And we like her more for it.