Foil

Character Role Analysis

Tom Jones and Mr. Blifil

Tom is good, and Mr. Blifil is bad. Tom is honest, and Mr. Blifil is a liar. Tom is generous, and Mr. Blifil is tight-fisted. These two are absolute opposites in nearly every respect. Fielding shows us all of the human traits he thinks are good (decency, learning, energy, a healthy love of physical affection) and all of the traits he thinks are bad (coldness, passivity, manipulation, hate-based lust) by developing contrasts between these two central characters.

In a way, they are so completely different that they seem like bad and good versions of the same person—after all, it turns out that they are brothers, and they were raised in the same household by the same tutors and mentors. They aren't so unlike in terms of their origins, but man, did they develop differently as they grew up—as though Tom was born good-natured and Mr. Blifil was just fated to be a lying liar who lies.