Santiago is the main character, or the protagonist, in as much as he is in the story more than any other character and because it his story that we follow. We travel alongside him and watch him develop into a more mature, enlightened individual.
A foil character, who may also be at the same time a protagonist, is a character who is in one important way, at least, very different from the, or another, protagonist. The function of the foil character is to emphasize by contrast the opposite trait in the, or another, protagonist. For example, Eddard Stark in A Game of Thrones might be considered a foil character for Cersei Lannister because his honesty and honor emphasizes by contrast her dishonesty and lack of honor. In the same book, Arya and Sansa Stark are also at once foil characters and protagonists. They are foil characters for one another because the stereotypically boyish behavior of the former is, if you'll forgive the pun, in stark contrast to the stereotypically very girlish behavior of the latter.
In The Alchemist, the Englishman certainly demonstrates attributes which serve to emphasize, by contrast, the opposite traits in Santiago. While Santiago seeks knowledge for some kind of spiritual awakening, the Englishman seeks knowledge for the altogether less noble goal of acquiring riches through the art of alchemy. Santiago also has an emotional intelligence and knows when to follow his heart, in contrast to the Englishman, who buries his head in his books and never learns to look outside of them. In these ways, the Englishman can certainly be considered a foil character to Santiago, the protagonist.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
If Santiago is the main character in The Alchemist, who is the foil and why?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What is the theme of the chapter Lead?
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
The statement "Development policy needs to be about poor people, not just poor countries," carries a lot of baggage. Let's dis...
-
James is very unhappy on a number of occasions throughout the story, but he's especially unhappy with his life situation as the story be...
-
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that thrive in diverse environments (such as the ocean, the soil, and the human body). Various bac...
-
It seems most likely you are asking about Michael Halliday's theories of language. He argues children have seven main functions they use...
-
Note that these events are not in chronological order. The story is told by the narrator, looking back upon her life. The first notable even...
-
One of the plot lines in Pride and Prejudice is Mrs. Bennet’s plan to marry off her daughters, preferably to rich men. Throughout the novel...
No comments:
Post a Comment