Character Analysis Of Mate In 'In The Time Of The Butterflies'

Maria Teresa- Mirabel Maria Teresa- Mirabel, otherwise known as Mate, is the youngest out of the four Mirabal sisters and one of the three to fight in the revolution. Throughout the novel, In The Time of The Butterflies, we see Mate's POV in the form of multiple diary entries. Her first diary entry began when she was just nine years old up until her time in prison at the age of twenty-five with breaks in-between. Through the eyes of these diary entries we see Mates character grow from a cheery, naive girl into one of brave, young women. This is especially shown through Mates last diary entry, in which Alvarez uses Mate’s inner dialogue and actions to paint us the final picture of Mates emphatic nature, resilience, and determination to stand

Mate is struck with so much fear that she had to be “carried like a sack of beans” by one of the guards letting us know, as the reader, that she has no power at this moment and feels like a cheap, worthless object.This fear only worsens after they tie her to a cold metal table and strip her down to her undergarments. She described her chest as being so tight that she “could barely breathe”. This all changes when an “unnamed person” is brought into the room. In this moment Mate forgets all about her own fear and focuses her full attention to this person. She immediately tries to free herself from her chains as she realizes the state in which this person is in. It's not until we see this person being tortured that we begin to understand the extent of Mates empathetic nature. As Mates watches “unnamed person” being beat up she feels as though her “very own stomach was being punched” telling us, the reader, that she can feel his pain. Maybe not physically but emotionally she can, which establishes her empathetic nature of having a deep understanding of others' pain. Her understanding of others overrides any danger that might hurt her in