The Underground Railroad

by Colson Whitehead

The Underground Railroad: Foil 1 key example

Chapter 6: North Carolina
Explanation and Analysis—Servant vs. Slave:

The novel’s foil of Cora and Fiona sets up a comparative study between slavery and servitude. The story introduces readers to Martin and Ethel’s house servant in its North Carolina chapter, just after Cora has escaped to the state. Cora never glimpses Fiona during her time in the attic, but she hears of the servant’s curses and grudging acts of service. When the night riders haul Cora and her hosts out, she discovers that Fiona had been responsible for turning them in:

She was so young, Cora thought. Her face was a round and freckled apple, but there was hardness in her eyes. It was difficult to believe the grunts and cusses she’d heard over the months had come out of that little mouth, but the eyes were proof enough.