Foil

Character Role Analysis

Sissy to Louisa

There are actually a bunch of foils in the novel (meaning characters that are meant to compare and contrast with more important characters). We'd say that even the foils have their own foils. But probably one of the most important is Sissy, who is the woman that Louisa never gets to become. She is feminine, loving, able to care for and take care of others (yes, these aren't exactly feminist traits, but we're working in a system with some pretty limited options for women. Be grateful you're allowed to have pockets, vote, and own property). How did she get that way? Because, unlike Louisa, she was not deprived of emotional and imaginative development as a child.