On many levels, Guzman is the protagonist of the novel, a protagonist who undergoes dramatic change from youth to adulthood while still maintaining a consistent character. Throughout his life he suffers, both physically (initially from Mama Cielo's constantly slapping hands, and later from the pain of his stab wound) and mentally (from his painful yearning for Rosa, lasting for most of his life, and from lifelong inability to please Mama Cielo and the other members of his family).

Guzman is a dreamer, forever dreaming of escape. As a child, he frequently runs away from home, only to be found a few hours or days later and beaten soundly by Mama Cielo. On the threshold of adulthood he dreams of moving to the U.S. to escape his trouble-filled childhood and the scorn that the villagers hold for him after his affair with Rosa and...