# Don Jose Avellanos — Nostromo character guide

> Don Jose Avellanos in Nostromo by Joseph Conrad.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Jose Avellanos, Avellanos, the late Don Jose Avellanos

**First appearance:** 0003-nostromo

## Snapshot

An elderly statesman and historian of Costaguana, ruined in fortune but not in passion, he has spent a lifetime pleading for his country's peace and honour.

## Who they are

Don Jose is the venerated patriarch of Sulaco's 'honest men,' author of Fifty Years of Misrule, whose name and counsel still command respect among the province's leading families. Crippled by old age and dignified poverty, he depends on the devotion of his daughter Antonia and pours his remaining hope into the Ribiera presidency and the promise of regeneration. He matters because his open letters and quiet influence set the political stage of the early novel, and his disillusionment will measure how far the new order falls short of the ideals he gave his life to.

## In the story

### [Author's Note](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/author-s-note)

Principal authority for Costaguana's history, author of the unpublished 'History of Fifty Years of Misrule.'

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/v)

Mentioned as part of the old Spanish families, though not directly present in the excerpts.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/vii)

Praises Charles Gould's tact and courage; corresponds with him via secret muleteer Bonifacio.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/viii)

Present at the lunch on the Juno and in the carriage with the Goulds; remains silent after the event, reflecting on the political situation.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/i)

A former minister and historian, broken by Guzman Bento's tyranny, who now passionately works for the regeneration of Costaguana through the Ribierist movement.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/ii)

The 'nestor-inspirer' of the regeneration party, chairman of the patriotic committee, and a key figure in organizing the defense of Sulaco. He is shown as frail but passionate, and he receives the bandit Hernandez's petition.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/iii)

Presses Decoud to direct the newspaper 'Porvenir'; embraces him emotionally, seeing his return as a public act of faith in the endangered cause.

### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/iv)

Strained by hope and fear; mechanically pronounces a farewell to Barrios; defends Decoud's jesting about the war.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/v)

Present in the sala, rocking in his chair; his beliefs are referenced in the political debate.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/iii)

Lies stretched out, hardly breathing, vanquished in a lifelong struggle with the powers of moral darkness.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/characters/don_jose_avellanos
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/characters