Short Fiction · Character

Alphonse Laballière

A quick-tempered planter who takes up residence in a freedman's cabin rather than evict its family, he invites scandal by breakfasting with the Giestins.

supporting

Also known as Mr. Alphonse Laballière, Mr. Laballière, Laballière

First appearance: at the cadian ball

As a supporting figure in Short Fiction, Alphonse Laballière is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

New cotton planter in Natchitoches; he is the subject of gossip for associating with free mulattoes and provokes Suzanne by enrolling André Giestin.

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When Alphonse Laballière inherits his neglected plantation, he refuses to displace the free mulatto family living in the dilapidated house and instead installs himself in a cabin nearby, taking his meals with them. Town gossip twists his decency into something shameful, and his distressingly quick temper answers the rumor by pulling the Giestins to his own table. His stubborn independence and his refusal to observe the parish's racial lines make him a target and a puzzle in a community that prefers its hierarchies undisturbed.

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See Alphonse Laballière in at the cadian ball

Character Web

17 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Passion, rejection, and courage
Family secrets and hidden desires
Duty, love, and return
Romantic rivalry and courtship
Mysterious origins and tragedy

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Narrative arc

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

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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See Alphonse Laballière in at the cadian ball

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