Heaven on Earth Back in the 1900s, many women often looked towards God for assistance and support. In the book In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, Patria Mirabal is easily considered the most religious character. During the time period of the 1900s, women did not know what it was to defend themselves, and they did not have any other way of protecting those they loved other than praying to God, or channeling their feelings through religion. Many would consider Patria’s religiousness to be everlasting, but over time, her dependence and devotion to God begins to weaken, and finally diminish altogether, shown by both Patria’s thoughts and actions, and shown by Alvarez’s style of writing in Patria’s perspective. In 1946, Patria …show more content…
For example, when Sor Asuncion talks to Patria about her future, and the possibility of becoming a nun, she describes very ominous weather: “ ‘You must pray to the Virgencita for guidance,’ she said. I could feel the tenderness of her gaze, and I looked up. Beyond I saw the first zigzag of lightning, and heard, far off, the rumble of thunder”(46). This description of the way Patria perceived the weather to be was very sinister. Then, later in the book, Patria decides against becoming a nun, and instead becomes a mother. Alvarez was using this as a form of foreshadowing, making it almost seem as if the weather itself was telling Patria not to give herself to God. Another example of this was during the bombing of the retreat, two different images of God were shown to Patria. Before the bombing, Patria was very much at peace, and basking in the sunshine of God: “Purple mountains reaching towards angel feather clouds; a falcon soaring in a calm blue sky”(160). Then after, when Patria looks for that sunshine again, she can no longer see Him anymore: “Then I tried looking up at our Father, but I couldn’t see His Face for the dark smoke hiding the tops of those mountains”(162). Before her biggest turning point, Patria is talking about how she sees the very tops of the mountains, and she can literally see God, and that He can see her. Then, after the bombing, when she is most desperate for God’s help, she can’t see Him anymore. When she needs Him most, God has been covered up by smoke clouds and hidden from Patria. It was this that triggered Patria’s change in view, and thus changed her feelings toward religion. All through the book, Julia Alvarez foreshadows important events through her personification and use of similes. She also tracks Patria’s development through the