How do Lilia and Michaela serve as foils to one another in the novel, Last Night in Montreal?

Throughout the novel, Lilia and Michaela served as foils of one another, being continually compared and contrasted in their parallel lives. Being the same age, the two women were deeply affected by Lilia’s abduction at the same points in their life. In this relationship, the women shared various similarities an a few key differences that are pointed out in their relations to one another.

One huge similarity is that both Lilia and Michaela lacked free will. Michaela resented Lilia throughout her whole life as she saw her as choosing her own fate. However, it became apparent when they met in Montreal that Lilia was just as trapped as Michaela. While Michaela was trapped by the abandon of her parents, Lilia was trapped by the lack of understanding she had of her own life. Both characters felt as though they do not fit into society and thus lacked connection with others.

They were also similar in the fact that their lives revolved around Lilia’s abduction. In both cases, the abduction disallowed the possibility of a calm upbringing. Both women were characterized by the abduction and were unable to escape its effect on their lives. They were also both characterized as being abnormally calm in chaos as chaos was all they ever knew.

The main difference in the women was that where Lilia was the object of obsession, Michaela was the object of abandon. As Lilia wished to disappear, Michaela wished to be seen. This interesting contrast drew attention to the fact that freedom could be lost in having too much or too little attention.