Foil

Character Role Analysis

Shorty and Malcolm X

Malcolm was a bad kid. A really bad kid. But it's not until he returns to Boston and hangs out with Shorty that we realize how much he has changed and how bad he has gotten.

While Malcolm was off living a life of crime, Shorty was studying music and starting his own band. So when they reunite, Shorty's relative innocence and surprise at Malcolm's profanity help us to realize just how different Malcolm has become.