Mr. Foe: True to His Name?

When reading novels, articles, and literature of all kinds, I often forget to pay attention to the title until I have completely finished reading and look back.  Authors choose their titles quite deliberately and use them as a clue about the meaning of what they have written.  Cat’s Cradle, for example, is a metaphor that is pivotal to the message of the novel.  The Things They Carried also clues the reader in to the fact that the novel is not just about the Vietnam War, but also has a deeper meaning of what stories we all carry with us. 

Therefore, I decided to pay more attention from the beginning to the title: Foe.  According to dictionary.com, a “foe” is “an enemy or opponent”.  Some synonyms given are: opponent, rival, competition, and combatant.  Susan often treats Cruso as her foe.  She fights back against his rules and desires to be saved.  She doesn’t want to remain a castaway on the island.  However, she doesn’t always treat Cruso as her foe, as she helps him through sickness and takes on the persona of his wife at the end of the chapter. 

One crucial moment at the end of the chapter is when we hear of Mr. Foe.  Susan talks directly to him through her words in the novel, bringing herself out of the immediate story being told.  She says, “Do you think of me, Mr. Foe, as Mrs. Cruso or as a bold adventuress?  Think what you may… (45).”  Her words seem harsh and competitive.  She treats Mr. Foe as if he were her “foe”.  Thus, Mr. Foe seems like a pivotal character in the novel, especially because he may be the personified version of the word “foe”.