Germinal · Character

M. Hennebeau

The Montsou manager, a stiff, self-contained man of business whose unhappy marriage and thwarted desire make him as trapped as the miners he governs.

supporting

Also known as Hennebeau, Suddenly M. Hennebeau, V M. Hennebeau, So M. Hennebeau

First appearance: part i i

As a supporting figure in Germinal, M. Hennebeau is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Arrives in a carriage and is observed by the women, who comment on his appearance.

In the storyChapter IIIOpen this moment free

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M. Hennebeau runs the Voreux for the Company, caught between Paris shareholders and the four thousand francs he sends down the shaft each fortnight. His wife, a woman of fashion who buried a great passion in Paris, despises Montsou and despises him for keeping her there. He loves her with a late, humiliating desire she never returns, and his private misery curdles into a coldness the miners read as contempt. He is the human face of the system they are striking against — and he is not happy either.

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See M. Hennebeau in part i i

Character Web

38 connections

A slice of how M. Hennebeau sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Hennebeau Household & Bourgeois
Diverse Characters & Collectives
Maheu Family & Bourgeoisie
Exploiters & Mining Pit

+33 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because Étienne experiences a profound psychological reversal: his past…

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In the story

M. Hennebeau appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter III
Arrives in a carriage and is observed by the women, who comment on his appearance.
Chapter I
The mine manager, born poor, married a rich heiress, and suffers from an unhappy marriage. He is overwhelmed by the strike and tries to maintain the luncheon.
The Delegation
The manager who receives the delegation, defends the Company's actions, and deflects responsibility to higher authorities.
VI
Riding home, he envies the lovers he sees, lamenting his own loveless marriage and wishing he could trade places with the starving miners.
Chapter V
Watches the strikers from his window, consumed by jealousy and despair over his wife's affair, feeling more miserable than the starving workers.
VI
M. Hennebeau observes the attack on his villa, blames Rasseneur, and hopes for gendarmes; he also considers the ruin of Deneulin as an opportunity for Montsou.
Chapter I
Mentioned as dismissing the Abbé Ranvier's threats.
Chapter III
Observes the collapse in despair, weeps, and later learns of the sabotage from Négrel.
Chapter IV
Travels to Paris to report the disaster, returns calm, and is promoted to officer of the Legion of Honour.

Chapter companion notes

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See M. Hennebeau in part i i

See M. Hennebeau in Chapter III