Alice (Doonesbury)

Alice P. Schwarzman is a character in the comic strip Doonesbury.

She was first seen in a series of strips in the 1970s, during which Zonker Harris was working behind a bar. His most regular customer was Alice, a poor garment worker who could barely afford food and who continually mistook Zonker's name for "Bonker".

Her character was later recast as a homeless woman living on the streets of Washington, D.C. She was first found by Uncle Duke (who she mistakenly called "Duck"), and later Rick Redfern encountered her while doing a report on the homeless. Redfern spent some time studying her way of life. Shortly after, he saved her from dying of exposure after he was unable to find her. He badgered the police (who didn't seem to consider her disappearance "their problem") and finally had her found and brought to a hospital. Alice was Garry Trudeau's way of personifying the destitute of America, allowing him to tackle the delicate issue of poverty with grace and sensitivity. She has maintained a major presence in the strip for years.

Alice eventually married Crazy Elmont, simply so that they could get moved up the list in order to get an apartment. The two obviously care for each other deeply, but Elmont often forgets that they are married.

Lacey Davenport, a rich congresswoman from California, encountered Alice while suffering from Alzheimers, and identified her as her sister, "Pearl". Alice humored the confused Lacey, spending time with her and nursing her through her final days. Because of this Lacey left all her money to Alice when she died. Although there were some questions regarding the legality of this, seeing as it was a case of mistaken identity, Alice was allowed to keep the money. She and Elmont briefly lived a comfortable life before he blew all the money day trading. It had been hinted that Alice still has quite a large amount of money hidden somewhere, but chooses to save it for emergencies.

It has also been hinted that Lacey was correct in identifying Alice as her sister, and many fans assume that this really is the case. Evidence for this includes an obvious facial resemblance between the two, similar personalities and speech patterns, and Alice's occasional mention of having once led a very different life, in which she was a young wealthy debutante.

If this is true (and solid proof has not been forthcoming) it is unclear what has happened to Alice in the intervening years. Her memories on the matter seem vague, and it is entirely possible that she, like Elmont, is mentally ill. Evidence for this is shown by her somewhat comical inability to remember people's names. When she met Rick, she called him "Ron" and "Rod". When she met Joanie, she called her "Jeanie". No one, strangely, troubles to correct her mistake, even though she never uses a person's real name.