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In The Time Of The Butterflies Critical Analysis

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In the Time of the Butterflies- Critical Analysis The novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez was published in 1994 and was written as a tribute to the Mirabal sisters, better knowns as “Las Mariposas” (the butterflies). These sisters were women who stood up against the transgressions in their country—a country that was under a governance of a cruel dictator known as Raphael Leonidas Trujillo. It just so happened to be that this circumstance is the reason as to why the Alvarez family had to move back to New York City. Her father joined the underground assembly in an endeavor of plotting to overthrow Trujillo. However, the plan was discovered and because he was frightened, that they could probably get caught, the father took his family and fled to the United States. Shortly, four months, after their escape three of the sisters were assassinated by Trujillo. Alvarez’s purpose for writing this novel was to honor “these sisters, who fought one tyrant… ” and became “… models for women fighting against injustices of all kinds” (Alvarez 342). …show more content…

According to Susan Miller, “the story skillfully weave fact and fiction…gut-wrenching climax.” Alvarez did not know the sisters, only of what they have done. Through their actions, she was inspired to create the character in the book and hopes that she did them justice. This novel is expressed in three segments with four parts told in the sisters’ point of view, except for Dede’s “the sister who survived”. By doing this the author allows us to have a more intimate sense of the lives of these well-known women. “Each of the girls develops her own voice.” (Miller) It also helps give us more of an insight of how the themes are presented throughout the book. The most important themes the reader(s) discover are women/feminism/gender, courage,

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In the Time of the Butterflies is a book about 4 sisters, Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa. The book is about the three girls growing up and their experiences during the time of the underground movement to overthrow Trujillo. The book was written in memory of Dedé’s 3 sisters who had been ambushed and murdered, which we are aware of since the beginning of the novel. The beginning chapter of the book is describing Dedé as she waits for a woman who is going to interview her about her three sisters, she then goes into a flashback she has of her family talking at the dinner table and her father mentions someone named Trujillo, which then gives a hint at who this book might be formed around. Through the book, we read stories about times in the girls’ lives when they were going to school at Inmaculada Concepcion and being at home and falling in love, as well as there run ins with Trujillo himself.

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The narrator recalls feeling trapped in her daily life, “I felt trapped in a world I could never escape. Confined to mediocracy, a pale, thin, overprotected girl...at the McCoy I became like my mother, a new person…,” (Chavez, 1999, pg. 256). She became a woman who, “Felt mature, comfortable with myself, more alive, not exhausted and frustrated by a life nearly over,” (Chavez, 1999, pg. 258), where being around new people allowed her to be the person dreamed of becoming, where she and her sister Margo both longed for freedom. At the hotel, they also stayed with their mother’s younger sister, Chita, “Rooms where shared by two sets of sisters, one younger the other much older... both groups sought respite from intense summer…,” (Chavez, 1999, pg. 255).

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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.

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It was useful for Alvarez to apply literary and rhetorical devices to enhance the appropriate understandings of her symbols, and foreshadowing in her novel. The four sisters were most known as “Las Mariposas”, which in the English language translates to Butterflies. “Even in the church during the privacy of the holy communion, Father Gabriel bent down and whispered “Viva la Mariposa”” (Alvarez 259). Butterflies are known for its beauty, freedom, and short term lives. Which all three known facts represents the Maribel sisters, they had the face of angels but strong and determined to fight against Trujillo and the regime.

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In The Time Of Butterflies was written by Julia Alvarez. Julia Alvarez is a Dominican-American poet, novelist, and essayist. She wrote In the time of Butterflies in 1994. The book divided into four sections, which make the sisters to have their own sections. The story took place in Dominican Republic during President Trujillo’s dictatorship government.

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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.

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In Julia Alvarez’s “A Genetics of Justice” three central ideas are used to develop her autobiography. She uses the ideas of trauma, silence, and voice throughout. Trauma is a main idea in the text. For example, it is present in multiple areas of the text. The text states “...the dictatorship that my parents endured most of their lives...under the absolute control of Generalisimo Rafael Leonardo Trujillo.. families...kept their daughters out of the public eye, for Trujillo was known to have an appetite for pretty girls...

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Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies is a work of historical fiction which is about four sisters who fight the oppressive leader, Rafael Trujillo, in the Dominican Republic. Dede, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patria Mirabal are the four sisters who go against Trujillo, that are the epitome of a person’s courage, faith, compassion, and growth. These sisters come together and use these exemplary characteristics to fight an oppressive regime. The theme of the courage and strength to stand up to tyranny in In the Time of the Butterflies is best exemplified through the character of Minerva Mirabel, through her courage to stand up to Rafael Trujillo.

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Marxist Criticism focuses on class struggle and power structure in a literary piece (Davidson). In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez can be analyzed using Marxist Criticism to show how power is maintained in the novel. Trujillo maintains his power by convincing girls to live in his homes, jailing citizens who try to overthrow him, and killing citizens that he has large problems with. Trujillo uses his authority to make all of his citizens obey him so that he can keep his power, or else they must deal with severe consequences. Trujillo acts this way to prove that he is the man in charge and ultimately prove that he is unbeatable.

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Literature Assignment Point of View In the Time of the Butterflies In the Time of the Butterflies is a novel written by Julia Alvarez. This book is written in the first person point of view. This is one of the easier ways to go about writing a book or short story.

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Courage Courage is strength in the face of pain. Julia Alvarez portrays different types of courage in her novel, In the Time of the Butterflies. The novel is set during the time of Trujillo's dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. As a result, some of the Mirabal sisters; Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patria, to take a step in joining a revolution against him.

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The Mirabal sisters were revolutionaries who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. During the revolution, they were given the code name “Las Mariposas”, or “the butterflies”. The term “mariposa” suits each sister in a different way. Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and Mate Mirabal each have their one reason to be compared to a butterfly. The nickname “mariposa” shows who the Mirabal sisters are; they transformed from domestic, innocent mothers and wives into brave, defiant martyrs for national freedom.

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