In The Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez Character Analysis

In the twentieth century Dominican Republic, soldier Rafael Trujillo rose through military ranks, eventually becoming leader of his country. From there, he imposed a brutal regime, limiting human rights and freedoms. While citizens publically expressed approval of their government in order to avoid arrest, many belonged to underground groups that supported revolution. Three of the most prominent members of this group were the Mirabal sisters: Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa. Minerva Mirabal was the first of the sisters to have these revolutionary ideas, and was the most radical of the three. In the historical fiction novel, In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, Minerva MIrabal embodies the traits found admirable by the common Dominican

Their skit involves Minerva’s friend, Sinita, pretending to shoot arrows at the foes of the Dominican. During their actual performance, Sinita strays from their original script, and “kept stepping forward and didn’t stop until she was right in front of Trujillo’s chair. Slowly, she raised her bow and took aim” (28). Even as a teenager, Minerva became involved in small acts of political protest. After Sinita is stopped in her attempt of shooting Trujillo, Minerva covers for her by pretending it was part of their performance, putting herself on the line of danger as well. In such times of oppression, the people needed someone who would risk themselves for others to save their country. Even in a small act of rebellion of lying to protect her friend, Minerva sets herself on a trajectory to be the person the people need. The next time Minerva comes face-to-face with Trujillo, she is a young woman at his Discovery Day dance. Her beauty catches the eye of the dictator and he wants to dance with her. As their encounter continues, his intentions of sleeping with Minerva become increasingly more obvious. He “...yanks [Minerva} by the wrist, thrusting his pelvis at [her] in a vulgar way, and [she] can see [her] hand in an endless slow motion rise… and come down on the astonished, made-up face” (100). All of the other woman that Trujillo

Minerva’s father cheats on his wife with a woman named Carmen Maria. With Carmen, he fathers four girls, who live a life of poverty and no education. After realizing the lack of schooling the children receive, Minerva asks their mother, “The girls are not in school, are they?... May I enroll them when I get back?” (105). Minerva initially resents Carmen and her children, but soon warms to them. Minerva can empathize with these girls and connect how much an education helped her and how much an education would help them. Minerva and her mother go to the Office of Missing Persons to report the disappearance of her father. Before them in line is a man who struggles with reading and writing, so Minerva spends time helping him fill out his forms. In an attempt to evade the government, the man named each of his sons the same, so Minerva makes up different names for his his children, and defends him against a guard who ridiculed the foreign sounding names. Since it took so much time to help the man, Minerva and her mother lose the opportunity to see an officer for the day. After hearing they’re going to need to come back the next day, Minerva’s mother asks, “Ay m’ijita, you’re going to fight everyone’s fight, aren’t you?” to which Minerva responds, “It’s all the same fight, Mama” (108). Minerva is under no obligation to show kindness to this man, but