Character Analysis
The Power of Tradition
There are probably more intimidating antagonists in the novel than Alejandra's grandaunt Alfonsa. She doesn't own the ranch like Don Héctor, or have power from the law like the prison captain, or have power outside the law like Pérez, or have any particular ninja skills or laser gun powers in combat. She doesn't even seem to be that antagonistic to John: she is sympathetic to his situation in some ways at first, and John says he doesn't hate her, despite her assurances that he will.
And yet. She's still pretty formidable when it comes to getting in John's way.
What she does have is power from the full weight of tradition, granted by the culture at large—her title, dueña, means "mistress" in the authoritative sense. In her initial meeting with John Grady she is loaded with the trappings of authority, including her speech, dress, and mannerisms: the narrator first describes her as someone looking "like the school teacher she had in fact been," with an English accent despite being Mexican; instead of the handshake that John Grady reflexively expects upon meeting her, he realizes she is simply gesturing for him to sit down (1900).
As Alejandra's grandaunt and the ranch head's sister, she holds a position of influence in the family. Despite her personal understanding of how restrictive tradition is, she nonetheless uses its power to keep John and Alejandra separated. She claims that this is the only way to protect Alejandra from consequences she does not fully understand, and which Alfonsa herself has experienced.
The Anti-John Grady
Alfonsa and John Grady are nearly opposite in every way. John is young, poor, uncultured, direct, laconic, physically capable, and free to do what he likes. Alfonsa is old, rich, educated in Europe, and prone to long speeches and allegories. She is also highly self-aware, anticipating shortly after the narrator's description that she might appear an "oldfashioned woman" (1946), and later that John might perceive her as bitter about her past life when 'protecting' Alejandra from him (3391). While she is empowered by her station in some ways as the mistress of the ranch, she's restricted in others, and she can't just toss aside the social customs that limit her role as a woman without bringing harm to both herself and others.