Prompt #3

2008. In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of a minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. 

Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil for the main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work.

In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Bernard serves as a foil to Biff which highlights the themes of denial and the failure of the American Dream.  Bernard works hard as a teenager and grows up to be a success while Biff coasts off of his personality and popularity and grows up to be a lost, wandering soul without real employment. 

Denial is a major theme within the work, as all the character's struggle to cope with reality.  Willy, Biff's father, raises Biff to believe that personality is everything in the world and that all things will fall into place if one has the right personality/relationships.  As a result, when Biff is a teenager, he does poorly in school and fails to graduate.  Willy only denies Biff's faults instead of teaching him to do the right thing.  For example, when Willy encourages Biff to steal or when he tells Biff to cheat on his exams.  He only sees his son as perfect.  Bernard, the foil, does not receive the same kind of unconditional encouragement and is forced to work hard in order to succeed.  However, this good work ethic makes him successful as an adult.  When they are adults Willy further denies that he had anything to do with Biff's unemployment as an adult.  From a bigger perspective, Willy's problem with denial throughout the play led him to raise Biff into the man he is in the present who has trouble gaining unemployment.  The stark contrast between Biff and Bernard leads the reader into questioning why they are so different which highlights the theme of denial, the main reason behind their differences.  These differences continue to highlight denial as Willy questions them as well.  He constantly searches for answers from the different characters which encourages the reader to search for answers as well.  

The American Dream is a major theme in the work, highlighted by Biff and Bernard as Biff is the poster child of the American Dream while Biff is the complete opposite.  Bernard is a very successful lawyer who earned his worth in the world through his trade.  Biff cannot find happiness in white-collar, professional work, so he has trouble holding a job.  The American Dream as represented in the play is that anyone can go into the world of professionals and climb their way to the top.  The American Dream fails Biff and he is left having trouble getting a job because his real desire is to move West and work on a farm, with no desire to become an important person. The failure of the American Dream and Arthur Miller's message that it is not for everyone is highlighted by the differences between Biff and Bernard.  As the reader looks for an explanation for their differences they can see that Bernard finds extreme success through the American Dream while Biff suffers.  

Overall, Death of a Salesman is able to emphasize it's themes and meaning through it's use of foils Biff and Bernard.  The reader unconsciously answers questions and as a result understands the meaning of the play.