Foil

Player Piano

by Kurt Vonnegut

Player Piano: Foil 2 key examples

Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Paul v. Anita:

Paul and Anita’s marriage fails due to their divergent personalities, upbringings, aspirations. In the time they are together, though, the characters serve as foils for each other, shedding light on the novel’s class conflicts.

Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Finnerty v. Shepherd:

Ed Finnerty and Lawson Shepherd assume the respective roles of renegade and lapdog. The roguish prodigy and scheming yes-man never clash directly, but as foils for each other they embody two extremes that Paul waffles between. 

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