I was wary of saying this in my last post, but now that I've read chapter five, I'm more confident about it. (Deep breath.) It seems to me that Bernard Marx and Henry Foster are foil characters.
Just now, I'm piecing together possible implications of their names. "Henry Foster," I noticed from his first appearance, is remarkably close to "Henry Ford." Ford was as American, consumeristic, and free markety as anyone can get. Bernard Marx shares his last name with Karl Marx, who made huge contributions to the ideas of socialism and communism. So even their names are strongly contrasted with one another.
The sharp differences between Henry and Bernard really highlight their distinct personalities. Umm, and they make me like Bernard more than I like Henry.
When I rule the world, I'll plant flowers!
ReplyDeleteAaaaand those are very astute observations. Usually when I say the words "astute observation," they come with no small amount of sarcasm, but this time I am being entirely sincere! I would not have noticed that. Or rather, I did not notice that.
Hey, thanks! Usually when I make observations like this, it severely inhibits my ability to make pop culture references. There has to be a balance, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteLots of foils to go around in this book...I'd never really considered Henry and Bernard...until now!
ReplyDeleteUsually foil characters don't like each other very much, like Henry and Bernard.
ReplyDeleteIt's even cooler when you go deeper and realize that opposites -- say, hmm, Quirrel and Voldemort -- can really have a beautiful relationship.