Foil

Character Role Analysis

Roger Button and Roscoe Button

At the beginning of "Benjamin Button," Mr. Button makes his son dye his hair brown and shave off his whiskers. At the end of the story, Benjamin’s adult son Roscoe wants him to wear fake eyeglasses and glue on a false beard. The two men end up treating Benjamin exactly the same way. They’re both embarrassed that their relative positions are not what they should be: Roger doesn’t like looking up to his son as an older man, while Roscoe doesn’t like looking down on his father as a young boy. Both men are fundamentally unable to love Benjamin as he is because of their fear of what is different.