Symbolism In In The Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez

Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of the Butterflies, expresses Minerva’s dilemmas through the use of symbolism to emphasize the struggle of choosing to prioritize her family or fighting in the country’s revolution. Having been apart from her family for so long, Minerva, the second daughter amongst four, wishes to live a normal life with her family and to see her children grow up. But the responsibility she holds as the country’s savior weighs heavily on her and becomes a grave issue for her. After she is released from prison, Minerva feels as if the house arrest is a blessing in disguise: “But to tell you the truth, it was as if I’d been served my sentence on a silver platter. By then, I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more than to

Minerva’s central role in the revolution separates her from her family, and she has to sacrifice so much to save her country from Trujillo, the corrupt president of the Dominican Republic. This leaves her missing her family and wanting nothing more but to be the loving mother to her kids. Although Minerva is tired of leading a double life, she forces herself to confront the inner conflicts that trouble her. Sometimes, she would “lie in bed, thinking, ‘You must gather up the broken threads and tie them together” (267). Because of her strong sense of justice, Minerva ultimately decides that she must collect herself and be there for the sake of her country’s freedom. Broken threads are irreparable and fray, affecting the thread that remains. The “broken threads” are a symbol of how the country will continue to be conquered by Trujillo, ruining the lives of the people who suffer under his control. This results in the ‘fraying’ of the country where everyone suffers the consequences because of the neglect to ‘tie the broken threads together’. Eventually, Minerva overcomes the obstacles that once possessed her constant worries and uncovers her depth of