# Alzire — Germinal character guide

> Alzire in Germinal by Émile Zola.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Little Alzire

**First appearance:** 0001-germinal

## Snapshot

The Maheus' eight-year-old daughter, frail and hunched, who runs the household with a woman's cunning while her mother begs for bread.

## Who they are

In the crowded room at Deux-Cent-Quarante she is the one who soothes baby Estelle, separates Lénore and Henri, and remembers the time when no one else does. Her crooked little body and grown-up tenderness carry the family's daily survival, and her mother's later tears at the mere sound of her name mark how much the settlement's smallest shoulders bear. She is the quiet measure of what the strike will cost.

## In the story

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/germinal_se/chapters/part-i-ii)

The nine-year-old daughter, a small invalid with a humpback, who shares a bed with Catherine and watches with open eyes.

### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/germinal_se/chapters/part-iv-v)

Alzire is sent to glean coal but returns empty-handed because the Company forbids it. She promises to try again despite the threat of being beaten.

### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/germinal_se/chapters/part-vi-ii)

Lies dying of fever, laughing softly in delirium; her suffering underscores the family's tragedy.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/germinal_se/characters/alzire
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/germinal_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/germinal_se/characters