Tía Lola is Miguel’s great-aunt and the novel’s titular character. Alvarez draws a parallel between Tía Lola’s physical appearance and her vibrant, larger-than-life personality:

Her black hair is piled up in a bun on her head with a pink hibiscus on top. She wears bright red lipstick and above her lips she has a big black beauty mark. On her colorful summer dress, parrots fly toward palm trees, and flowers look ready to burst from the fabric if they can only figure out how (12).

Throughout her novel, Alvarez uses bright colors to represent joy, and Tía Lola’s vivid wardrobe reflects her optimistic attitude and the happiness she brings to others’ lives. Alvarez also emphasizes Tía Lola’s loving nature, which she expresses through the food she cooks and the stories she tells. As she tells Miguel, “Everything is magic if made with love” (53). Her caring heart wins over Miguel, who initially opposes her visit. Belying her outward exuberance, Tía Lola is terribly homesick. Alvarez offers insight into Tía Lola’s emotional pain in Chapter 9 when she wishes, “Before the year is out, may I go back to my island home again!” (126).