Coup de Torchon

The town’s sole policeman, respected at times but increasingly scorned by those around him. He starts as a passive bystander who tolerates humiliation and injustice, then transitions into a violent operator as he seeks control over his own fate. His moral decline unfolds amid a web of coercion, deception, and personal longing.

Cordier’s wife, openly living with her lover and manipulating her social world to survive. She exerts agency through intimate relationships and provocative behavior, complicating the power dynamics in the town. Her actions illuminate how desire, autonomy, and neglect intersect under colonial social pressure.

A young bride who endures an abusive husband while drawing Cordier’s eye and complicating his sense of justice. Her presence exposes how women navigate danger and exploitation within a male-dominated justice system. The relationship with Cordier places her at the center of the town’s moral storm.

Huguette’s lover and a peripheral observer who becomes entangled in Cordier’s escalating violence. He is both part of the social web and a potential witness to Cordier’s crimes, highlighting how personal passions intersect with law and power.

The new French teacher who catches Cordier’s attention and stirs his inner reflections. Her presence adds a fragile human connection that contrasts with the town’s brutality and cruelty. She catalyzes Cordier’s shift from passive bystander to active player in his own fate.

The timber company head who publicly humiliates Cordier, embodying the colonial bourgeois power structure. His insults and wealth illustrate how economic dominance translates into social control. The character represents the kind of unchecked authority that Cordier reacts against.

Cordier’s supervisor who urges decisive action and later becomes entangled in the aftermath of Cordier’s acts. He personifies official power and its fragility when faced with a determined, desperate subordinate. His position shows how bureaucratic authority can be co-opted by personal grievances.