Foil

Character Role Analysis

Agatha Burkhardt/Georgie Burkhardt

Siblings often clash, and Agatha and Georgie are no different. Let us count the ways. Agatha values and respects all life in the natural world, while Georgie shoots pigeons for fun and Grandfather Bolte's approval. Georgie wants to stay in Placid and take over the store, but Agatha wants to leave and study at a university. Georgie is interested mostly in practical, day-to-day matters, while Agatha wants to learn for learning's sake, whether it brings her money and a husband or not.

Perhaps these two sisters' opposite status is best explained like this, though: Georgie describes herself as the leaf that flies once and settles, but Agatha's a feather that keeps going on every puff of wind.

Billy McCabe/Mr. Benjamin Olmstead

They're rivals for Agatha's affections, so is it any wonder that Billy McCabe and Mr. Benjamin Olmstead are also foils? Billy is young and super handsome, while Mr. Olmstead is older—he gets a "Mr." before his name, after all—and only mildly attractive. Mr. Olmstead is an established and wealthy businessman, while Billy plans to homestead in Minnesota. Billy tends to be impulsive and manipulative, while except for dumping Agatha a bit prematurely, Mr. Olmstead is generally a steady guy.

We can go on—Billy takes Georgie into danger; Mr. Olmstead gets her out of it. Billy doesn't care so much about the natural world, but Mr. Olmstead has a huge library and collects specimens. The point is, they're opposites, though they both manage to attract Agatha.