Foil

Character Role Analysis

Hazel and George Bergeron

Harrison's parents wouldn't be very similar if it wasn't for the government regulations that make them "equal." Of course, making them so similar only highlights their differences. Poor George is crippled by the mental handicap radio implanted in his ear. Hazel? She has no excuse. At one point she even envies him, thinking "it would be real interesting, hearing all the different sounds" (14).

But Hazel at least wonders what it would be like to change things—not eliminate rules, but bend them a little. George, on the other hand, seems happy with the status quo, even if he's the one having horrible noises buzzed into his brain on a regular basis. "The minute people start cheating on laws, what do you think happens to society?" he wonders aloud (31), right before a blaring siren rips through his head.

Alone, Hazel and George would be just average sad, like everyone else. Together, they're absurdly tragic.