As the historical fictional work of Julia Alvarez in In the Time of The Butterflies goes on, Alvarez is actually the interview woman, telling the story through the interviewer’s eyes. In the beginning, Papa predicts Dede’s future and not any of her sisters’ futures which inform readers that not only are all the sisters’ special but that Dede has her part to continue the legacy of her sisters. After living under the control of Trujillo, an evil and corrupt president, the sisters risked their own lives by starting rebellions and joining movements secretly against Trujillo. Dede, who didn’t join the rebellion, watched helplessly as her family fell apart: First, with the death of Papa, and later on the deaths of her sisters who were arrested. These sisters were nicknamed Mariposa which means butterflies to show how fearless they were to stand up for their beliefs. To start off, Alvarez picks Sinita, a girl whose whole family has …show more content…
Dede followed her husband and didn’t get involved until it was over (Alvarez 172). Dede really wanted to join the rebellion, but she didn’t because she was loyal to her husband, following his lead. She may have not joined the rebellion, but her actions proved that she regretted her decision. This is shown when she wants Fela to clean out the shed (Alvarez 64). Fela hanged a picture of Trujillo in the shed and after seeing the picture, Dede was furious and told Fela to clean out the shed. She basically told Fela to get rid of the picture. She didn’t even mention the name Trujillo which shows her hatred and fear towards him. Not only did she regretted it physically, but mentally as well. “Why? Why didn’t she go along with her sisters” (Alvarez 177). She really wanted to join the movement against Trujillo which shows how badly she wanted to follow her sisters’ leads. In the end, she lived on and continued the legacy of her sisters which shows her role in bringing down
In the Time of the Butterflies is a historical fiction novel written by Julia Alvarez. The book focuses on the lives of the four Mirabal sisters who were killed on November 25th, 1960 as a result of organizing against the government. Throughout the novel, the sisters are oppressed and hurt by the many men in their lives. The book takes a view that is not very tolerant of men. The men often do things that hurt the women in their lives, such as physically hurt them, cheat on them, or control them against their will.
Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is the inspiring story about the four Mirabal sisters who grew up in the dictatorship of the Dominican Republic. The novel depicts the events that leads up to the deaths of three of the sisters: Patria, Maria Teresa, and Minerva and shows how the remaining sibling, Dedé, deals with both grief and regret. Alvarez explores the dangerous history of the Hispanic Caribbean through fiction in hopes that her readers will be able to truly grasp the impact the lives of the Mirabals had on the Dominican Republic. While many different topics are discussed in the book, the violation of human rights and political unrest is what drives the plot of the book.
Butterflies, as free as they may seem, were once creatures incapable of flying along their own paths. As caterpillars, their mobility confines them and limits their abilities. Through their development in metamorphosis, caterpillars turn into an independent insect worth marveling over. In the novel In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, the symbol of a butterfly fits Patria Mercedes Mirabal well because her views on the rebellion change suddenly and dramatically, from isolation to involvement. Just like a butterfly, Patria Mercedes Mirabal changes as time and her surroundings require her to.
Minerva’s central role in the revolution separates her from her family, and she has to sacrifice so much to save her country from Trujillo, the corrupt president of the Dominican Republic. This leaves her missing her family and wanting nothing more but to be the loving mother to her kids. Although Minerva is tired of leading a double life, she forces herself to confront the inner conflicts that trouble her. Sometimes, she would “lie in bed, thinking, ‘You must gather up the broken threads and tie them together” (267).
As Trujillo implies that if they express their thoughts they will be killed is also foreshadowing the death of the Mirabal sisters later in the
Butterflies Reflection In The Time of the Butterflies I am exposed to many different viewpoints. An important one being Minerva Mirabal. This novel takes me through the crazy lives of the Mirabal’s. This family is in a personal war against El Jefe Trujillo.
In the novel In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez uses Minerva and Dede to discuss gender roles because both the characters of Minerva and Dede respond to gender roles in completely different ways. To begin, once the challenges of Trujillo become more intense, Dede finds herself unable to handle it, “She shuts her eyes tight and wished blindly that everything would turn out all right” (pg. 78). This statement is important because it illustrates the gender roles women should take on throughout the novel. Specifically, this quotation shows how Dede hopes for her husband find a solution to the issue at hand, as she closes her eyes instead of facing the problem. Alvarez uses Dede to exemplify the characteristics a woman should acquire,
The courageous acts of the Mirabal sisters Harrison Thomas In the novel in the time of the butterflies, Julia Alverez the author shows how the Mirabal sisters were extremely determined to take down Trujillo and his dictatorship. Throughout the novel the Mirabal sisters Dede, Minerva and Patria were all seen participating in the rebellion using courage by their side to do numerous things. Some off these things consist of slapping Trujillo, running away from armed guards, and even sneaking out every night to keep the secret away from Dede’s husband. Finally, the sisters are all seen caring and looking out for each other all throughout the book using courage to help make their decisions.
This characteristic of having such strong commitment helps depict her as a revolutionary because she stood up for what she believed in no matter the circumstances and was willing to face the consequences of her actions. Another way Alvarez portrays the Mirabal sisters as revolutionaries is through their ability to be confident in themselves and stand up to powerful people and take risks.
Once she decides to join the revolution, she is fearless in her efforts to end Trujillo’s regime, regardless of her personal outcome. Minerva fought until the day she died, and with her death, a better future for her country was
Minerva Mirabal was the leader and the voice of the butterflies before their murders on November 25, 1960. Minerva was the leader of the group because of her extroverted attitude and her disgustion of oppression. Minerva consistently portrayed the image of the butterfly to the public despite the struggles she had going on in her personal life. From a young age, Minerva’s identity is rooted in her struggle against oppression. Throughout her life, she transforms her identity into a national symbol.
Silence is introduced early in the story in paragraph 3 when she tells the readers that even her mother’s parents were “afraid to say anything...against the regime” (par. 3). She goes on to say that the “nation of Dominicans had learned the habits of repression, censorship and terror” (par. 17). This suggests that not only was it her family that was affected, but the entire nation. Even when her family moves to America, they were burdened with silence. Her parents’ refusal to discuss events in her home country show that they are so controlled by Trujillo that they are continuing his “mandate of silence” with their own family in America (par. 21).
Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies is a work of historical fiction set in the Dominican Republic that focuses on the four Mirabal sisters who bond together to rebel against the corrupt leader of their country, Rafael Trujillo. The four Mirabal sisters, Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa form closer relationships with each other as they figure out a way to bring down the tyranny of Rafael Trujillo. Although they have a mutual goal, each of the Mirabal sisters has different feelings and thoughts throughout this time period. The theme of coming-of-age and identify is best exemplified through the character of María Teresa, known as Mate, through the ways she matures throughout the novel and becomes her own person who stands up for what she believes in.
Alvarez and her family have a lot of trauma considering there lives in the dominican republic and living under the dictator,through it all alvarez's parents raised a daughter who would share their story in a fashionable matter that told the story how it was.
According to Patria one of the three sisters involved in the movement, states that she and her other sisters were not willing to offer their family for the revolution until Minerva did “But Minerva, your own child- I began and then I saw it did hurt her to make this sacrifice she was convinced she needed to make” (Alvarez, 155). Patria’s compelling words show the determination of Minerva to end the sadistic presidency. Minerva doesn’t not want to give up her child but she does so for what she believes in. Such determination leads to worthiness of the sister’s sacrifices. Dede, the only sister who survived insists that she would have joined her sisters