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The only other character aside from Salvatore given a name, Assunta's most important role in the story is as Salvatore's foil. After Salvatore chooses the beautiful girl from the Grande Marina, loses her, and accepts his loss without malice, Assunta comes with not only adoration, but also enough money to buy him a boat and therefore a career. But like the girl from the Grande Marina tested Salvatore's goodness with her blunt ending of their engagement, so does Assunta test him by confronting his prejudices around appearance.

The fact that she is referred to as "ugly as the devil" is an especially ironic description given her internal goodness. Like Salvatore, which means "savior," the name Assunta has religious connotations. Assunta comes from a Latin root that means "assumption," which refers to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven. Assunta herself, while a generous, devoted wife, is not without her own human faults. She still holds a grudge against the girl who broke Salvatore’s heart even though he has forgiven her. While the name Assunta comes from the religious use of the word “assumption,” it also alludes to the assumptions made throughout the story, including Salvatore's uninformed assumption that she is "ugly."

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