The General in His Labyrinth

José Palacios is the General’s confidant though he has a considerably lower social status. In contrast to the General and his entourage, José has no title. He barely draws a wage, having worked for the General for so long that he takes whatever is necessary whenever he needs it. José's life is dedicated to the General, in the same way the General has dedicated his life to Gran Colombia. In this sense, José equates the General with the country on symbolic and practical levels. He knows that he lacks the status or training to make an impact like that of the General but, through serving him, he can contribute to his country. Because of this dedication, there is no person the General trusts more. Not only is José his most trusted confidant on political matters, but also on personal matters. They have private conversations about the General’s love life with an honesty the General does not express with others: José is a bank vault in which the General is able to store his secrets for safekeeping. He accepts this role with honor, happy to be helping his country by helping the man he respects so much.

José's importance is presented in the opening sentence of the novel: The first two words are "José Palacios" (3). José's knowing, respectful, and humble interactions with the General are the audience's introduction to this world. Despite the General's old age and waning health, José treats him with respect. This lack of presumption and humility stands in stark contrast to the General, who is in the midst of a reckoning with his own legendary status in the nation. A key part of this humility is José's often repeated mantra: "Only my master knows what my master is thinking" (14). José does not even dare to presume the thoughts of the man he knows better than anyone else. This quiet, careful humility defines José, even in narrative terms, preventing anyone from truly knowing the man he considers to be a friend as well as an employer. José knows that the General trusts him and, considering this to be an honor, he never even hints at the true thoughts that may or may not be lurking in his master's mind.

José plays an essential narrative role. As well as being the keeper of the General's secrets, he is the keeper of his memories. José's occasional interjections into his master's thoughts when they are alone together provide narrative and historical context for the General's actions. When the General thinks about certain people or places, for example, José is on hand to fill in the details. He has an encyclopedic memory of the events, issues, insults, and rivalries from the General's past. As well as providing the General with useful context, these asides provide an important narrative function, allowing the narration to switch modes and explore the past rather than the General's present.

After the General dies, José is alone. He has no more secrets to guard and no other way to serve his rapidly collapsing country. He drinks himself to death and dies without ceremony in the gutter, returning to his diminished social status at the end of his life.

If José represents the General's trust and confidence, then Manuela represents his relationship with love. The General loves Manuela and Manuela loves the General. However, he has left her on numerous occasions. Their love is complicated by her status as a married woman. Nevertheless, she loves the General unquestioningly and becomes his most ardent defender after his departure from Bogotá. She is such a fierce supporter of the General that the new government considers her a security risk and takes measures to buy her silence. Manuela cannot be bought; she never abandons her love for the General. In reality, she loves the General more than he loves himself. As he weakens and becomes riven with self-doubt, Manuela's love intensifies. Despite the complexity of their love, despite the distance between them and the relative lack of time they spend together in the novel, Manuela never abandons her position as the embodiment of love in the General's life.

Though she only features in the novel in passing, Manuela is established as a revolutionary figure in her own right. Very few women in the late 18th century have much political power or agency. The society depicted in the novel is patriarchal, with men in positions of power asserting their authority. Manuela disavows this idea. In the General's absence, she becomes a thorny political presence for the new government, and she refuses to backdown. In the past, she intervened in an assassination attempt to protect the life of the man she loves. She rejects social convention, and she is publicly known to be having an affair with the General, even though she is married. Manuela dedicates her life to the General, but she lives her life on her own terms, refusing to bow to social pressure and accept her designated status in society.

Manuela's devotion leads to tragedy. She is married to a man twice her age and in love with a man who is about to die. The man she loves has spent most of their time together devising ways not to be with her. Manuela loves intensely but the most definitive feature of her life with the General is that he always finds new ways to leave her. The intensity of her love is only matched by the tragedy that she was never truly permitted an extended period of time to be with the General. Her strength remains evident, even more so in her attempts to hide her sadness from those around her.

General Santander is a former friend and trusted companion of the general who, in the past, turned on the General. He is involved in an assassination plot to kill the General and is sent into exile before the narrative of The General in His Labyrinth begins. Because of this, Santander functions as the novel’s antagonist even if he never actually appears in any scene. Instead, his antagonism derives from his betrayal. Like so many of the military leaders who surround the General, Santander was once a trusted friend. He betrayed the General’s confidence, and this unforgivable act and causes the General to hate him far more than if Santander had merely made an attempt on his life. The General does not care about the assassination plot, as he has faced plenty of them. Instead, he cares that he placed his trust in a man and was then betrayed. The nature of this betrayal has long-lasting ramifications. Following Santander's betrayal, the General is forced to reconsider whom he can trust. His ever-diminishing entourage is partly caused by his inability to trust. In betraying the General, Santander causes the General to lose far more than just a friend; He makes it difficult for the General to trust anyone ever again.

Santander represents the threat of the changing regime. Throughout the novel, the General hears rumors that Santander is going to return to exile and take power. His ascension to power would be a serious blow to the General, as it would endanger his legacy. For a man obsessed with the idea of his own legend, the prospect of an enemy undoing his life's work is terrifying. Not only will Gran Colombia fall apart, but the policies, alliances, and ideas that the General left behind are in danger of being replaced. Santander represents not just a threat to the General on an individual level, but also to the General's historical legacy. For the dying General, this is a far more serious aspect of Santander's villainy.