The Weight of All Things

Tino, or Tata, is an old and weathered man accustomed to living a hard life. He has wrinkled brown skin, tired legs, and no shoes. He finds peace in the mountains with Nicolás, for whom he lives. The same patient, nonviolent characteristics that Nicolás exhibits are mirrored in his grandfather. Similarly, Tata engages in magical thinking the way Nicolás does. He talks to the fish and asks them to perform miracles for the hungry people. Tata represents the common man that both sides of the war claim to fight for. Tata’s steady presence makes it clear that his life (and people like him) would be much better if there were no war at all. He and his land are exploited by both the Left and the Right. Like Nicolás, he survives because he is peaceful, smart, and brave. 

Letty is Tata’s daughter, mother of Nicolás. She dies in the first scene, so what we know of her character comes from Nicolás and Tata’s memories. Tata describes her as a loving and stubborn girl. He says that her accidental pregnancy with Nicolás was a wonderful gift to their lives. From Nicolás we know that Letty is a highly religious woman. She believes that praying to La Virgen will protect her and Nicolás. Ironically, it is her obsession with Archbishop Romero and prayer that leads to her death outside the cathedral. After her death, Nicolás and Letty maintain a connection through La Virgen. He creates fantasies in which his mother will return to him, alive. The fantasy version of her keeps Nicolás alive and hopeful.  

Señor Alvarado is a wealthy man with access to important medical supplies. He is patient, kind, and helpful toward anyone that comes his way. He is not fighting the war, but he assists from the sidelines. Although he doesn’t explicitly join the FPL, he provides them with equipment and medical supplies. He endangers his life to help the cause. His cool, calm demeanor in the face of chaos foretells the kind of man that Nicolás will become: a doctor specializing in trauma. Nicolás says that Alvarado represents kindness. 

Doctor Eddy is referred to as a gringo because he has blonde hair and appears white even though his mother is Mexican. He helps train members of the FPL so they can act as medics in the field. He is brave, strong, and kind. He represents a nonviolent masculinity for Nicolás, much as Alvarado does. Doctor Eddy is the first person that introduces Nicolás to the idea of becoming a doctor, encouraging and teaching him some basics. Doctor Eddy saves Nicolás from a dangerously high fever, proving himself to be a hero without weapons. 

Captain of the squad of FPL that arrives at Tata’s rancho, Dolores is a tough woman, wearing combat boots and carrying a rifle. She relies on words more than force to get what she wants, convincing Tata that he has no option but to hand over his home to her. She keeps her crew working hard and is on constant alert for threat from the army. She likes to offer long speeches on the history of El Salvador and the reasons why there is no choice but to revolt. She believes that the people (like Tata and Nicolás) and land have been exploited for so long that their future survival depends on a civil uprising. She does not acknowledge the irony that she is exploiting Tata, nor does she seem to care that her presence leads the army to small villages which are destroyed in retaliation or attack. As a character, Dolores offers complex insight into the position of the Left.

Gerardo is a solider in the FPL. He is a young, heathy man who left his village home to join the fight. He is not particularly violent, although he carries a deadly weapon with him at all times. He comes from a family of five children, and two of his brothers fight against him in the Army. His mother laments that he is off fighting for the people, yet he leaves her and his sisters alone and unprotected. Gerardo is killed by a gunman from the Army and Nicolás vows to return a lock of his hair to Gerardo’s mother and to explain that he always treated Nicolás well. Gerardo represents the excessive casualties and destruction of the youth of El Salvador through this war. 

Elias is Gerardo’s counterpart, yet he survives the attack that kills Gerardo. Like Gerardo, Elias is kind to Nicolás. Elias is strong and unflappable. When his best friend is killed in front of him, he carries Gerardo’s body back to camp on his shoulders, never stopping. Elias soon has a son, giving new life to the weary guerrilleros. He and his son represent the future of El Salvador, keeping the hope alive that one day his son will reap the rewards of their revolution. Tragically, his baby and his mother are killed only a few days later by the Army.  

Carmen is the camp cook, working with Dolores. She has children of her own, so she represents the maternal figure missing in Nicolás’s life. She is a strong, stout woman who bears the responsibility of feeding her troops with only the bare essentials. Through her kindness Nicolás feels comforted. She makes stacks of tortillas, pots of beans, and coffee. Her food symbolizes that of the campesinos, the poor people living off of the simple, traditional foods of the land.

In contrast to Carmen, Ofelia is the cook at the Army garrison. She is thin, cold, and cooks far more refined food than Carmen. Nicolás has never tasted anything like what she cooks. She does not care for Nicolás and ultimately accuses him of being an informant. Unlike Carmen, she does not worry for his safety when an attack comes, rather she turns on him. Ofelia provides a comment on the difference between the FPL and the army, showing the way a person can lose their humanity when working with the government.  

Vidal, also called el Chucho because his face resembles a bulldog, is a young soldier at the Army garrison with Nicolás. Like Elias and Gerardo, he is a man in his early twenties, trying to fight for what he thinks is the right side of the war. He treats Nicolás well. It is Vidal’s favorable treatment that allows Nicolás to enter the market where he finds the exit route of his escape passage. Like Elias and Gerardo, Vidal is ultimately gunned down, left dead in the street. All three of these men are robbed of the dignity and pride they expected from fighting this war.