Foil

Character Role Analysis

Asher and Jonas

All of Asher's not-so-great qualities emphasize Jonas's admirable attributes. Asher is careless; Jonas is contemplative. Jonas is mature, and Asher is unsophisticated. While Jonas agonizes over word choice, Asher struggles with the difference between "boyishness" and "buoyancy."

Through this contrast, we see just how different Jonas is from a typical Twelve in the community. We can sense right off the bat that he is destined for greater things.