Foil

Character Role Analysis

Sym and Maxine

Sym considers herself sexually immature, especially when she compares herself to her best frenemy, Mean Girl Maxine. We can measure Sym's maturity by watching her attitude toward Maxine change over the course of the novel. At the beginning, Sym feels a little jealous—and a lot disgusted—by Maxine's exploits: "Maxine is just so full of sewage" (1.73), she says. But by the end of the book, Sym feels much more charitable toward Maxine. "Who am I to criticize her for liking an older man?" she asks. "I hope he's nice" (19.42). As her peer, Maxine serves as a measure for Sym's shifting relationship to, well, relationships.