Harlem Shuffle

by Colson Whitehead

Harlem Shuffle: Foil 1 key example

Part 1, Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Laurel and Hardy Routine:

In Harlem Shuffle, Freddie and Carney are foils for one another. While the two characters are united by their shared backgrounds and similar characteristics, their diverging life decisions and lifestyles reinforce their differences. In moments when the narrator describes their childhood and adolescence, it becomes clear that the cousins have had a foil relationship since they were young.