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Dramatic Irony
Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Adam and Charles:
Adam and his brother Charles, much like their biblical counterparts, Abel and Cain, are set up as foils to one another. Taken together, the two characters construct a complex depiction of the relationship between violence, masculinity, and loneliness. Adam abhors violence, but as a soldier is forced to commit it all the same; Charles naturally has a more violent disposition (especially as a child), but is prevented by his father from ever going to war.
Both Charles and Adam, despite having opposing relationships with violence, masculinity, and the military, are desperately lonely. In Charles and Adam, one can clearly see the different ways in which toxic masculinity can manifest and contribute to cyclical feelings of loneliness and violence. The two brothers address these emotions in different ways: Charles shuts down, closes in on himself, and devotes himself to his work, relying on prostitutes to keep him satisfied. Adam, on the other hand, searches for someone to share his life with, and in Cathy naively chooses a dangerous and apathetic partner. Both men are unable to connect with women meaningfully and therefore objectify them. For Charles, this looks like degrading and devaluing women. Adam, on the other hand, elevates Cathy as the epitome of womanhood and cannot understand her outside of his own fantasies.
Related Themes:
