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A character in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

Alice LeBlanc

An aspiring performer whose self-presentation collapses under pressure.

What they want

To preserve professional dignity and be noticed.

The book

Cover of They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? by Horace McCoy
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?Horace McCoy, 1935

A Depression-era dance marathon turns hunger and exhaustion into paid entertainment.

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At a glance

Role
a contestant hoping to be discovered
Pressure
An aspiring performer whose self-presentation collapses under pressure.
Goal
To preserve professional dignity and be noticed.
Story turn
She suffers a psychological breakdown.

Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Alice LeBlanc is a contestant hoping to be discovered. An aspiring performer whose self-presentation collapses under pressure.

The character wants to preserve professional dignity and be noticed.. That desire is tested by a contest whose rules reward spectacle rather than care.

She suffers a psychological breakdown. The outcome clarifies what the marathon takes from people and what its organizers can turn into entertainment.

How the book draws them

Appearance, manner, and tone — as the book sketches them, in our words.

  • Rolea contestant hoping to be discovered
  • PressureAn aspiring performer whose self-presentation collapses under pressure.
  • GoalTo preserve professional dignity and be noticed.
  • Story turnShe suffers a psychological breakdown.
What happens to Alice LeBlancHow the book leaves them, what happened after, and what the record says. Open when you're ready.

She suffers a psychological breakdown.

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