Tao Chi'en
Tao Chi'en was born into a destitute family in Kwangtun Province, China. His father, a healer, imparts knowledge about the medicinal properties of plants to Tao before the family sells him. This knowledge later saves Tao's life when he is resold to a wealthy zhong yi, an acupuncture master, who takes him on as an apprentice. The master adopts Tao Chi'en, bestows his name upon him, and teaches him all he knows. Upon the master's suicide, Tao inherits his wealth and medical tools.
Tao relocates to Hong Kong, where he establishes his own practice and marries Lin. However, while heavily intoxicated, he is kidnapped by John and taken aboard his ship to work as a cook. Despite the circumstances, Tao and John become friends, leading Tao to Chile when Eliza seeks his assistance in sneaking aboard a vessel bound for California.
Haunted by his wife's spirit, Tao grapples with the growing bond between him and Eliza. He sets up a medical practice in San Francisco, while Eliza roams the mining towns in California's mountains, searching for Joaquín. Tao becomes actively involved in rescuing young Chinese girls brought to San Francisco as forced prostitutes. Ultimately, he and Eliza acknowledge their feelings for each other.
Eliza Sommers
Eliza Sommers is the result of an affair between John Sommers and a Chilean woman whose name John cannot recall. She is left on the doorstep of Rose and Jeremy's home. Her upbringing takes an intriguing turn as she learns about British society from Rose and the ways of the Chilean peasantry from Mama Fresia. At sixteen, she falls in love with Joaquín and engages in a secret romance, which leads to her becoming pregnant. When Joaquín departs to seek gold in California, she insists on following him. To do so, she must clandestinely leave Rose and Jeremy and hide on board a sailing ship.
During her journey in the ship's cramped storage room, she loses her baby and experiences a symbolic rebirth, gaining a new sense of self. This ordeal also leads her to meet Tao, who will come to represent a more mature love for her. Upon arriving in California, she embarks on a quest to find Joaquín but ends up discovering herself. She disguises herself in men's clothing and adopts a masculine identity to break free from the restrictive notions of womanhood she has known. She takes on the name Elías Andieta, posing as Joaquín's younger brother. Along the way, others begin calling her Chile Boy.
Through this journey, Eliza finds her independence and realizes she can redefine her feminine role. In the wilderness, she learns to earn her own living and view life as an adventure rather than a monotonous adherence to others' arbitrary rules. It is during this period that she recognizes her love for Joaquín was immature. Upon learning of his death, she understands that she is free from all the constraints that had previously held her back.
Rose Sommers
Rose Sommers is the sister of Jeremy and John. While living in London, she engages in a romantic relationship with Karl Bret-zner, an Austrian tenor who is already married. She dedicates the remainder of her life to caring for Jeremy, who never marries.
At the age of twenty, Rose adopts a baby girl and names her after her mother. She suspects that the child might be John's, but she doesn't confront him about it until the story's conclusion. Rose lives vicariously through Eliza, doing everything in her power to ensure the girl grows up and marries well. She seldom considers Eliza's own wishes.
Rose values the...
(This entire section contains 146 words.)
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freedom that comes with not being bound to a husband's demands and declines multiple marriage proposals, including one from Jacob Todd. Despite enjoying her partial independence, she expresses a desire for Eliza to have a better future than her own.
Other Characters
Elías Andieta
Refer to Eliza Sommers
Joaquín Andieta
Joaquín is a destitute young man who scrapes by working at Jeremy Sommers's
import business. He has socialist ideals, similar to Allende's own uncle, and
is dedicated to organizing workers and opposing the government's mistreatment
of the impoverished. He captivates Eliza with his intellect and passion,
although it is uncertain if he genuinely loves her. Joaquín appears more
enamored with the concept of socialism. He departs Chile to seek gold in
California. Numerous stories about him emerge, particularly after Jacob (Todd)
Freemont sensationalizes him in embellished newspaper articles, renaming him
Joaquín Murieta. Joaquín's fate after arriving in California remains unclear.
Readers never see him again, leaving his activities and whereabouts as
unverifiable as rumors. He is ultimately found dead, shot by a group of
mercenaries who allegedly aim to eliminate another infamous "Mexican" outlaw
from the West.
Señora Andieta
Señora Andieta is Joaquín's mother. She lives in poverty and cares deeply for
her son. When Rose visits her and learns Joaquín's whereabouts, Señora Andieta
inadvertently leads Rose to believe that Eliza has gone to California.
Babalu the Bad
Babalu the Bad serves as a bodyguard for Joe Bonecrusher's girls. He is a large
man, reputed to be capable of doing the work of several men. He attempts to
toughen up Eliza, whom he perceives as too feminine to be a boy. Babalu is an
illiterate ex-convict from Chicago who traversed the Midwest and mountains in
search of gold in California.
Joe Bonecrusher
Joe Bonecrusher is a very masculine woman who operates as a madam in a mobile
brothel. Babalu the Bad provides protection for her and her girls. Joe
befriends Eliza, allowing her to earn her keep by playing the piano to
entertain the men who visit Joe's girls.
Karl Bretzner
Karl Bretzner is an Austrian tenor who travels to London to perform several of
Mozart's works for the royal family. He seduces Rose Sommers with his voice.
She attends every performance, catching his attention, and he eventually
invites her to his dressing room. The narrator describes him as being built
like a butcher, but his voice ignites an uncontrollable passion in Rose,
leading her to succumb to him. Later, Jeremy Sommers becomes suspicious and
investigates Bretzner, discovering that he is a married man with two
children.
Chile Boy
Refer to Eliza Sommers
Agustín del Valle
Agustín del Valle embodies the powerful and wealthy landowners in Chile. Known
both as a womanizer and a harsh landlord, he frequently mistreats his tenants.
As a dictatorial patriarch, he demands absolute obedience from his family. He
exerts strict control over the women in his household, going so far as to send
his daughter Pauline to a distant convent after she falls in love with a man he
disapproves of. Pauline's defiance of her father showcases Allende's critique
of patriarchal society.
Pauline del Valle
When Pauline del Valle falls in love with Feliciano, her father shames her by
cutting off her hair and then sends her to a convent to be raised by nuns.
However, Pauline is spirited and rebels against her father by escaping the
convent to be with her lover. Eventually, her father gives in and permits their
marriage. Pauline proves to be a loving wife and a smart, intuitive
businesswoman.
Jacob Freemont
See Jacob Todd
Mama Fresia
Mama Fresia, of Mapuche Indian heritage, serves as a cook and maid in the
Sommers household. She cares for Eliza in ways that Rose does not, using
medicinal plants and incantations to tend to her health. Mama Fresia teaches
Eliza kitchen skills and shares ancestral mythology stories. She also helps
Eliza interpret her dreams and understand nature. These lessons are crucial for
Eliza's survival during her journey into the Wild West of 1850s California.
Lin
Lin is the wife of Tao Chi'en, brought to him through a matchmaker. Tao
cherished her bound feet, a symbol of beauty in their culture. They fall in
love after their marriage, but Lin loses their baby and soon falls ill herself.
After her death, she appears to Tao, eventually encouraging him to move forward
with his life.
Joaquin Murieta
See Joaquín Andieta
Tom No-Tribe
Tom No-Tribe is the adopted son of Joe Bonecrusher. Joe rescued him after Tom's
tribe was massacred when Tom was just four years old. Eliza expresses to Tao
her desire to one day have a son as brave as Tom.
Azucena Placeres
Azucena Placeres is a Chilean woman traveling on the same ship as Eliza to San
Francisco. Tao seeks Azucena's help to care for Eliza during her fever. In
gratitude, Eliza gives Azucena one of her necklaces. Later, John recognizes the
necklace and demands to know Eliza's whereabouts. Azucena deceives him by
claiming that Eliza is dead.
Feliciano Rodriquez de Santa Cruz
Feliciano discovers gold in northern Chile. Despite his newfound wealth, he is
not accepted by the old Chilean aristocracy and is rejected by Agustín del
Valle, the father of the woman he loves. Feliciano devises a plan to rescue
Pauline from the convent where her father has sent her. After they marry,
Feliciano places great trust in Pauline's intuitive business skills and opens a
bank account in her name, providing her with funds to invest independently.
Jeremy Sommers
Jeremy Sommers is the eldest sibling in the Sommers family, with Rose and John
as his siblings. At thirty years old and still single, he finds Eliza left on
his doorstep. He relocates to Chile with his sister Rose to escape a scandal
she was involved in, and becomes the manager of the British Import and Export
Company, Ltd. He is highly protective of Rose and very concerned with
maintaining appearances. Jeremy tries to govern his small family with an iron
fist but is often countered by Rose and Eliza.
John Sommers
John Sommers is the rebellious member of the Sommers family. He has spent his
entire adult life at sea, indulging in heavy drinking and numerous romantic
liaisons. He is the polar opposite of his older brother, Jeremy. John is also
Eliza's father, although he only acknowledges this at the end of the story.
Michael Steward
Michael Steward is a naval officer whom Rose considers a suitable match for
Eliza. Rose attempts to court him on Eliza's behalf, leading to confusion as
Michael mistakenly believes Rose is interested in him.
Jacob Todd
Jacob Todd is described as a "charismatic redhead." He arrives in Chile on a
bet to sell three hundred Bibles. People assume he is a preacher, a notion he
does not refute, and he eventually accepts donations based on this assumption.
Todd falls in love with Rose but is rejected. He is later exposed as a fraud
and leaves Chile, reappearing in the story when Eliza and Tao are in
California. In San Francisco, he adopts the name Jacob Freemont and becomes a
newspaper reporter who writes sensationalized stories about Joaquín, portraying
him as a notorious rebel, which ultimately leads to Joaquín's demise.
Ah Toy
Ah Toy is inspired by a real person, a Chinese woman who establishes a house
where men can pay to look at her. This soon progresses to more promiscuous
activities, resulting in Ah Toy becoming a very wealthy madam. She imports
young Chinese girls, whom Tao attempts to rescue.
