Summary Of Julia Alvarez's In The Time Of The Butterflies

The USA has a lengthy history of foreign intervention, staged when it is convenient for them rather than for the benefit of the country being converged upon. Regimes and dictatorships breed with practiced ease in developing—or even recovering—countries, directly under the nose of the world’s most powerful nations. Specifically in the US, foreign intervention should not be implemented for they have proven their incapability to assist nation without taking advantageous liberties. Frequently armed with selfish notions, America intervenes in foreign affairs—to garner some sort of profit—before withdrawing from the unfinished conflict entirely. By reading political declarations and historical recounts of these dictatorships it can be confidently

In Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies, we glimpse the destruction of the Dominican Republic amidst the oppressive reign of General Trujillo through the eyes of a survivor with familial ties to the attempted rebellion. Surprisingly the US does not get involved in the affair—however, they have been accused of catalyzing it. Raymond Pulley’s article, “The United States and the Trujillo Dictatorship, 1933-1940: The High Price of Caribbean Stability” makes the following claim, “Trujillo’s climb to supreme power in the Republic may be traced from the United States occupation of that island” (22). He then goes on to explain how the US had attempted to fix the foreign debt and economic struggles in the Republic, before withdrawing and only leaving the country with a tremulous democracy that was vulnerable to conquest. Moreover, the US did not attempt to right their mistake upon learning of the manifesting regime, tossing the country aside like a broken toy. Subsequently, the citizens of the Republic were forced to fight themselves—as depicted in In the Time of the Butterflies. Seeing as American influence in other countries can lead to dictatorships, claiming the US’s foreign involvement does more harm than help is a valid

His speech outlines the apparent necessity for the US to maintain full control of the South and Central Americas, and to abolish any current foreign influence. Monroe says “[T]he American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers” (776), expressing his faith in the United States to selflessly intervene in the events of other western countries should the need arise. He also claims these territories as solely an American issue, prohibiting European powers from influencing them. Predictably, their promises fall through and leave the societies they attempted to aid in ruin. Nevertheless, they are permitted to swing by and claim to assist these countries, while reaping the benefits before making an ostentatious retreat. A series of such incidents has been recorded in Stephen Kinzer’s novel, Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq—which has been utilized in foreign policy education for the masses. Susan Froetschel—a member of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization— she highlights the theme and significance of this book; “Americans support policies that bring suffering to foreign lands, he argues, for two reasons: ‘American control of faraway places came to be seen