Isabel Allende uses the symbol of the journey to explore the theme of transition. A perilous journey is undertaken and endured at the outset of the story to demonstrate the transition from a preordained life to the possibilities that are created by literacy. The protagonist is an itinerant seller of words who travels from village to village in a series of journeys that give her the ability to support herself and help reduce individuals’ sense of isolation. The nature of the protagonist’s journeys changes as news of her powers as a storyteller spreads. First, she is captured and kidnapped as El Mulato takes her to meet the Colonel. She inverts this pattern in the second journey, which she seems to have foreseen after captivating the Colonel with her secret words. This final journey demonstrates Belisa Crepusculario’s full empowerment as she takes the hand of the subdued Colonel.

Allende utilizes geography, including rugged terrain and the harshness of the natural world, to symbolize hardship, challenge, and endurance. The story begins in an inhospitable environment where conditions range from floods to the scorching desert and drought that kill the protagonist’s siblings.