Foil

Character Role Analysis

Michael Ramsey, Gordon

Gordon hates the way politics and public opinion get in the way of true scientific endeavors, and in this way, Ramsey is a foil for Gordon. While it seems as though he also dislikes these hoops, he is willing to jump through them a little more readily than Gordon is. This is seen when Ramsey publishes his experimental results and tries to hide their association with Gordon's much maligned experiment.

Saul Shriffer, Gordon

Gordon believes that theory cannot come before data, and unless data points to a specific conclusion, that conclusion is off the table for him. Shriffer is Gordon's foil in this regard because he has a tendency to jump to conclusions and then hope the data follows him like a loyal puppy. When Shriffer goes on television and suggests the message comes from a distant civilization, this proves his tendency to do exactly that.