Top 17 Julia Alvarez Research Paper

Julia Alvarez once said, “A novel is not, after all, a historical document, but a way to travel through the human heart.” (“Top 17 JULIA ALVAREZ famous quotes and sayings”). Julia Alvarez, a Dominican-American author, was alive during the regime of Rafael Trujillo, the president of the Dominican Republic. The feeling of being trapped in the Dominican Republic during Trujillo’s administration during that period is displayed in her novels and poems. Alvarez challenged what it meant to be a multicultural author, paving the way for many other immigrant authors who came after her. Julia Alvarez's childhood connection with America, a new movement in immigrant and Latino literature, the ideas of independence and revolution from the Dominican people,

Julia Alvarez was born in New York City but lived in the Dominican Republic for most of her early years, returning to the U.S. when she was ten (“Julia Alvarez” Hispanic). Growing up, Alvarez’s family viewed America as a surreal place (“Julia Alvarez” Encyclopedia). Consequently, Alvarez had “an American childhood” despite being raised in the Dominican Republic (“Julia Alvarez” Encyclopedia). Julia Alvarez and her sisters even attended an American school in the Dominican Republic (“Julia Alvarez” Encyclopedia). The American attitudes and the will to fight for freedom and independence displayed in Alvarez’s household led her family to be a target of Trujillo’s regime. Alvarez’s father secretly joined the attempt to overthrow Trujillo and Alvarez’s family was forced to flee the Dominican Republic so he would not be apprehended (“Julia Alvarez” Encyclopedia). “Freed from Trujillo, they were also free from everything they loved, the encompassing family, the Caribbean landscape, and above all, the comforting language” (“Jacques”). Even though Alvarez’s family escaped the dangers of being in the Dominican Republic, they had to leave behind the things that were most important to them, including family, and the reassurance of their

Instead, Alvarez faced homesickness, alienation, and prejudice in the U.S. (“Julia Alvarez” Encyclopedia). She describes the experience, “The feeling of a loss caused a radical change in me” (“Julia Alvarez” Encyclopedia). Alvarez lost a part of herself when she moved to America and left the Dominican Republic. Her home, language, and family were left behind and Alvarez experienced struggles that are also portrayed in her writing. Alvarez felt the need to master English to succeed in the United States to identify as an American. (“Jacques”). There was no bilingual education or multiculturalism, so Alvarez had to master it by herself (“Jacques”). Alvarez left behind a feeling of comfort and pushed herself to learn English which led to her success in