The Time Machine

by H. G. Wells

The Time Machine: Foil 1 key example

Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Eloi and Scientist:

In The Time Machine, the Eloi serve as a foil to the time-traveling scientist. The Time Traveller is portrayed as a man of science and reason, who is driven by a desire to understand the world around him. In contrast, the Eloi are portrayed as weak and dependent, and display a marked lack of curiosity about their foreign visitor:

A queer thing I soon discovered about my little hosts, and that was their lack of interest. They would come to me with eager cries of astonishment, like children, but like children they would soon stop examining me and wander away after some other toy.