The Drowned World
by J. G. Ballard

The Drowned World: Foil 1 key example

10. Surprise Party
Explanation and Analysis—Kerans and Strangman:

In Chapter 10, Kerans reflects on his odd relationship to Strangman. A simile emphasizes the way they function as foils for one another:

Racing around the lagoons like the delinquent spirit of the drowned city, apotheosis of all its aimless violence and cruelty, Strangman was half-buccaneer, half-devil. Yet he had a further neuronic role, in which he seemed almost a positive influence, holding a warning mirror up to Kerans and obliquely cautioning him about the future he had chosen. It was this bond that kept them together, for otherwise Kerans would long since have left the lagoons and moved southwards.