Foil

Character Role Analysis

George Babbitt/Myra Babbitt

If there's any foil to George in this book, it's got to be his wife Myra. Babbitt spends much of this book feeling dissatisfied with his life. But what he doesn't realize is that his wife is dissatisfied, too. The difference is that she doesn't take out her dissatisfaction on her family like Babbitt does.

When she finally confronts Babbitt about his selfish, alcoholic lifestyle, Myra shows Babbitt that he's not the only person in the world who wants more out of life. She has her own hopes and dreams, and if Babbitt would take a second to realize that other people exist, he might find more productive ways of dealing with unhappiness.