In The Time Of The Butterflies: A Character Analysis

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. Minerva evolves as a person throughout In the Time of the Butterflies, but her morals and values persist throughout her life. Minerva believed that the idea of oppression was unjust from the beginning of her life. She was born with this value and

After the sisters find out about their husband’s prison transfers, Minerva says, “Not only was there nothing in the world we could do to save the men, there was nothing in the world we could do to save ourselves either” (Alvarez 283). Minerva knew her eventual fate but put the people of the Domincan Republic’s lives over her own. Just as Minerva is about to go up the mountain she would soon get murdered on she says, “I don’t know quite how to say this, but it was as if we were girls again. Walking through the dark part of the yard, a little afraid, a little excited by our fears, anticipating the lighted house just around the bend” (Alvarez 297). Minerva outlines in this quote that despite her massive evolution into a symbol of political rebellion, she still sometimes feels like she’s a child again. Minerva uses the values that she gained in her childhood to not give up the seemingly never ending fight against the Trujillo regime. Minerva Mirabal acted as the symbol that the Dominican Republic citizens needed despite of her own aspirations of happiness and a normal life. She was able to lead a political rebellion by sticking to her strong values she had since her childhood. Minerva is as close to it gets to a selfless hero, and a reminder that normal people can do extraordinary