Entry #11: Foil Character

I present to you, the greatest example of foil characters of all time: Edgar Derby and Paul Lazzaro.
A foil character acts as a contrast to another character; often through personality, (a word that I can't see because the copier failed to do its job), or values. Edgar Derby and Paul Lazzaro contrast eachother like Yin and Yang, black and white, insert other lovely example here; you get the idea.
Edgar Derby is presented as the generally good guy; he is a forty-year old high school teacher with good moral fiber and just happens to get shot while in Dresden, according to Pilgrim. Paul Lazzaro on the other hand is somewhat like that of Roland Weary, except for the fact that unlike Weary, Lazzaro is not all words. He kind of kills Billy Pilgrim. So it goes. Lazzaro is cruel, saddistic, generally mean, and kills puppies. I don't really like him at all.

On their travels to Dresden, Edgar Derby is elected the head american. He gives a speech in which Vonnegut states, "He said that his primary responsibility now was to make damn well sure everyone got home safely." I'm terribly sorry, but this comes to mind:

Ladies and gentlemen, Edgar Derby.

To contrast this rather perfectly, Lazzaro says, "'Go take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut...Go take a flying fuck at the moon'"
Lazzaro, you are a mean man, and I'm growing more comtempt for you by the paragraph. It's a shame Edgar gets blown to bits instead of you.