Foil

Character Role Analysis

Ty and Gemma

This dysfunctional pair has some key traits that separate their similarities from their differences, and most of them revolve around the characterization techniques Christopher uses in the story. Gemma (at least at the beginning of the book) thrives on activity and routine, while Ty prefers the solitude and natural rhythms of the desert.

Where Gemma has grown up in a well-to-do family and her parents have always provided for her, Ty was an abandoned child who is so traumatized from being taken from his dad's farm that he still has violent nightmares. Part of Gemma's conflict as his hostage is her inability to connect with someone whose background is so different from her own, yet being with Ty seems to open her eyes to his struggles.