In this story by Isabel Allende a young woman has become famous, traveling an unnamed South American country by foot delivering news, storytelling, writing letters for people, and selling “secret” words that have magical powers. One day, a feared bandit/rebel leader forces her to write a motivating political speech to help him become president. On departing, she whispers two words in his ear. The speech is such a success he becomes the favorite to win the election. However, obsessed by the meaning of her two words, he withdraws into himself. Themes include hardship, courage and determination, loneliness, the power of words.
The theme “the power of words” can be looked at from several perspectives. In the story, words have the power to inform, entertain, inspire, comfort, change destiny and equalize. From a feminist perspective, words enabled Belisa to overcome the gender-based power imbalance between her and the Colonel, and meet him on equal terms.
The ambiguous ending leaves the two words to the reader’s imagination. The most common conclusion is Te amo (“I love you” in Spanish). However, they could just as easily be some sort of curse to take revenge on the Colonel for her near-death experience during the abduction.
Two Words Text / PDF / Audio (3,100 words)