Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Dueña Alfonsa

It's hard to pick an antagonist for the novel; the captain, who tortures Rawlins and kills Blevins, seems to be the most rotten of the lot. But his place in the novel is small compared to Alfonsa, who performs the ultimate blocking action by separating John from his love, Alejandra. While Alfonsa is a sympathetic character and gives John good reasons for her actions, it's because she stalls his ultimate desire that she believes he will come to hate her—and maybe the reader will, too.