Tránsito Soto Character Analysis

A prostitute and friend of Esteban Trueba. Esteban first meets Tránsito Soto at the Red Lantern, a brothel near Tres Marías. She is the best dancer there, and is Esteban’s favorite. Tránsito has big plans in life, and she asks Esteban to borrow her 50 pesos to help make them happen. Esteban quickly agrees to lend her the money. He later runs into Tránsito at the Christopher Columbus, the best brothel in the capital city. She offers to repay his money, but Esteban says he would rather she owe him a favor. Esteban runs into Tránsito a handful of times over the years, and each time she is doing a little better. She ultimately ends up running the Christopher Columbus, which she transforms into a “whores’ cooperative,” where everyone makes money and no one is exploited. When Esteban receives Alba’s severed fingers in the mail after she is arrested and detained following the military coup d’état, he goes to Tránsito and asks for her help. Esteban figures a woman like Tránsito knows how to pay her debts, and he assumes someone in her line of work knows a lot of important people. Tránsito finds Alba within two days and arranges her release. Tránsito’s methods are never revealed, but she is another example of a strong woman in Allende’s book. She is independent and competent, and she lives her life exactly as she wants to. Tránsito’s “whores’ cooperative” also reflects the Marxist ideology present throughout most of the novel. Everyone at the Christopher Columbus is equal, and meaning no one is able to take advantage of another.