Belisa Crepusculario

Belisa Crepusculario is a young woman who is alone in the world. She survives by travelling from town to town, selling words in various forms. Allende portrays Belisa Crepusculario as an independent woman with a strong desire to survive. However, when encountering other major characters, such as the Colonel, Belisa Crepusculario demonstrates compassion and love. As the story develops, Belisa Crepusculario’s character remains stoic and dedicated to her craft, unmoved by the events that unfold throughout the story.

Allende establishes the nature of Belisa Crepusculario ’s character at the beginning of the story by using the narration to describe how she got her name. Belisa Crepusculario “searched until she found” (3) sentiments that captured her personality, and she turned those sentiments into her name. The fact that Belisa Crepusculario chose her own name instead of having one given at her baptism shows that she is independent and...