Both Uses

alternative
in
Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
(Edited)

He hopes his flight, like that of the character in the title, toward asylum (Canada, or freedom, or the company of the welcoming dead), or home, is interpreted as a radical gesture demanding change, an alternative way, a cessation of things as they are.
Chpt Frwd. *

alternative = non-standard or non-traditional
And if marriage was not achieved, there were alternative roles: teacher, librarian, or…well, something intelligent and public-spirited.
Chpt 9 *

alternative = other possible

Definitions:

(1) (alternative as in: an alternative plan)
a different choice or possibility, or describing something that offers a different choice or possibility
(2) (alternative as in: alternative medicine)
non-traditional or non-standard
(3) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)