Foil

Character Role Analysis

M.C. Higgins/Ben Killburn

Ben's the opposite of M.C. M.C.'s athletic, confident, and a hunter, in addition to being black and possessing a pretty conservative view of religion and family. Ben, on the other hand, is witchy, with six fingers on each hand, just like the rest of the men in his family. He's also white and—basically—a weakling, as well as a vegetarian.

So yeah, you don't get more opposite than these two. But that's also why Ben is such a great foil to M.C. Without Ben being all the things he is, we would never be able to see how much of a jerk M.C. can be, too, because Ben is like a puppy—innocent, sweet, and harmless. M.C., though? Yeah, not so much.

Jones Higgins/Mr. Killburn

These two dads are as far apart as you can get. Jones is all about owning land, eating meat, and keeping the family nuclear, while Mr. Killburn is more like the head of this extended, familial commune. No one hunts and everyone shares everything on the Mound, including work and food. Mr. Killburn doesn't believe in ownership, especially over the land.

Mr. Killburn is a pacifist, while Jones, on the other hand, comes out seeming narrow-minded and bigoted. Jones's values may be more typical and conventional, but they don't emerge looking like the right values. And that's all because of Mr. Killburn's presence.