Boule de Suif characters

Also known as Boule de Suif

Appears from the start

A young Rouen woman whose livelihood as a sex worker makes the respectable passengers in her coach look down on her. Her nickname refers to her short, rounded appearance. She is practical, patriotic, and generous: when the other travelers discover they brought no provisions, she shares the ample food she packed for herself despite their earlier contempt.

Appears from the start

A bearded republican and political idealist traveling with the Rouen party. He presents himself as an opponent of imperial rule and has spent time preparing the city's defenses, though he left before the Prussian occupation. The bourgeois passengers regard his radical opinions with suspicion.

Appears from the start

A prosperous Rouen wine merchant with a reputation for shrewd dealing and broad humor. He is one of three commercially successful men in the coach and travels with his wife, quickly treating the enclosed journey as an opportunity for jokes and social maneuvering.

Appears from the start

Loiseau's tall, decisive wife, who helps manage the family wine business. Economical and socially severe, she is among the passengers most ready to judge Elisabeth by her occupation while accepting the food Elisabeth offers during the stalled winter journey.

Also known as the Count

Appears from the start

A Norman aristocrat traveling with his wife. His title, manners, and claimed lineage place him at the top of the coach's improvised social order, and the two other bourgeois couples readily defer to him when the stranded party must decide what to do.

Also known as the Countess

Appears from the start

The Count's composed and socially accomplished wife. She travels as part of the respectable upper-class group and uses gracious manners to preserve social distinctions even when hunger and military occupation place everyone in the coach in the same predicament.

Appears from the start

A wealthy cotton manufacturer and prominent citizen traveling with his much younger wife. He joins Loiseau and the Count in the coach's bloc of respectable men, whose wealth and status do little to protect the party from the authority of the occupying army.

Appears from the start

The unnamed Prussian officer commanding at the inn in Tôtes. Polite in manner but backed by occupying military power, he prevents the coach party from continuing its journey and makes clear that their departure depends entirely on his consent.