Foil

Character Role Analysis

Betty Schaefer and Norma Desmond

Joe finds himself attached to two very different women. Norma Desmond is the has-been celebrity who pays him for sex and treats him like a pet. She's completely self-obsessed and devoted to her own greatness. On the other hand, Schaefer's younger than Joe, and she and he actually manage to communicate. They work on a script together and they have a real connection. It's the exact opposite of Joe's relationship with Norma, in which he ends up being a mere object for his employer's entertainment and an editor for her own evidently terrible screenplay.

Joe Gillis and Norma Desmond

Joe's an unlucky writer who's able to see through the illusions of Hollywood—his biggest problem is trying to prevent his car from getting repossessed. He wants success, but he's not entertaining unrealistic delusions of silver-screen glory. But Norma definitely is entertaining those delusions. Even though she's older than Joe—and therefore should probably know better—she's totally obsessed with herself and with her own faded celebrity. Joe is canny and aware, whereas Norma is utterly unrealistic, even mad.