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New Hampshire · Character

Laban

A named local figure in the New Hampshire poems, one of the small-town men whose plain existence the narrator sets against the state's loftier claims.

supporting

Also known as this Laban

First appearance: the grindstone

As a supporting figure in New Hampshire, Laban is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Laban, Eliza's current husband, tries to honor her wish by seeking a separate grave or burial with her first love.
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Laban belongs to the cast of New Hampshire specimens — one each of everything, as the poem says, kept in the state's show-case and not for sale. He is the sort of neighbor whose name the narrator drops without…

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The fuller portrait of Laban sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Laban in the grindstone

Character Web

6 connections

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

ELElizaSOSonJSJohn SmithJOJoeMOMotherLALaban

Relationship types

  • Family
  • Social
  • Other

Character groups

  • Generic and elderly locals
  • French-Canadian and local residents
  • Maternal and eccentric locals

+1 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

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

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

The emotional peak occurs when the speaker, overwhelmed by the "fated night" and the "hissing" snow, nearly su…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Laban in the grindstone

In the story

Laban appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Laban unlock in the free preview.

See Laban in the grindstone