Foil

Character Role Analysis

Elinor and Dustfinger

These two really don't get along that well, and it's no wonder, since they're so different. Dustfinger is a drifter, not at home anywhere he goes. And this isn't just because he's not in his own world either—as a juggler/street performer, he's a social outcast, wanted only when he's being entertaining. Elinor, on the other hand, has money and a home. She lives a sedentary and quite settled life, and she's happy with it that way. Needless to say, it's a surprise every time these two manage a civil conversation in this book.

Mo and Dustfinger

Mo is Mr. Determination, while Dustfinger is kind of flaky. You can really see how different these two are from each other when you examine how they relate to Resa. Mo is all about trying to find a way to bring his wife back from the world of Inkheart, and he keeps trying new things, and even thinks he might finally have found a solution when he meets Fenoglio and comes up with the idea about writing a new ending to a story.

Dustfinger also has a thing for Meggie's mom, but when she makes her choice and doesn't want to leave Capricorn's village with him, he puts her out of his mind: "She could have escaped with him, but she had stayed in the crypt with her daughter, and so he had thrust her out of his heart as he always did with anyone who tried to stay there too long" (58.4). Way to throw in the towel, Dustfinger. It seems like he's one dude who doesn't do so well with long-term relationships… whereas Mo tries to find his wife for nine years.