Foil

Character Role Analysis

Nao Kao and Foua/Neil and Peggy

Although they're all genuinely good people, these two couples just can't see eye-to-eye. This is mostly due to cultural differences: Nao Kao and Foua follow mystical Hmong traditions while Neil and Peggy stick to the cold, hard logic of Western medicine. The heated conflict between these two viewpoints leads to some of the book's most tense moments—but also some of the most touching, when we see the instances of compassion that bring them together.