Summary Of Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez

Minerva was the second oldest and the strongest of the Mirabal sisters. “She was always into her wrong and rights” and that’s why so many people (Mostly women) honor her till this day. Trujillo was a dictator of their country who never liked anyone to go against his word and if they did he ’d kill them and make it seem like the person did it him or herself . When Minerva was a kid she always looked up to him until her friend from school told her stories showing the real him, and that’s when everything began to change.

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).

The proletariat's fear of Trujillo helped facilitate the hegemony in their society, furthering the difference in class power between Trujillo, and the rest of the Dominican Republic. This is how Trujillo was able to stay dominant and in a position of power for such a long period. In the quote, Maria Teresa said that she was “wanting to be safe” (227). Maria Teresa wanted to be safe because she knew that she was already in danger, due to Trujillo filling her with terror by putting her in prison. Trujillo putting the Mariposas in prison acted as a warning of what he could do to them, their parents, and their families.

Butterflies Reflection In The Time of the Butterflies I am exposed to many different viewpoints. An important one being Minerva Mirabal. This novel takes me through the crazy lives of the Mirabal’s. This family is in a personal war against El Jefe Trujillo.

In chapter 11 of In the Time of Butterflies, a positive aspect of prison for Maria Teresa is the strong relationships she built with the other women because it gave her something to depend on while she was going through tough times. On April 8, Maria Teresa wrote about her conversations with the other women in prison. Her and another lady Magdalena started talking about the strong connection that all the women shared in jail. After the conversation began between the two, the other women came over to Maria Teresa and Magdalena and started to share their ideas and opinions. All the women were starting to come together as a group and their relationships were getting stronger.

Trujillo had no respect for women, to him, and many other male characters in the novel, women were sex symbols. This type of behavior shows in how the narrator views women also in Oscar and his one sided relationships, INSERT QOUTE about YUNIER AND EXPLAINATION It is arguable that cultural lens is more relative in the book than that of the feminist lens. This perspective makes sense because in the book the dominican culture is very significant. The story of Oscar, the character whom the novel is about, is told through the voice of Yunior, the narrator.

How far would you go to stand up for what you believe in? In the time of the butterflies by Julia Alvarez is a novel that tells the story of four sisters in the Dominican Republic who get involved in a movement against regime of Rafael Trujillo. With each sisters perspective, it is clear the harsh ways Trujillo’s regime has impacted people in the Dominican Republic lives over the years and how people have rebelled against it. Each sister has sacrificed so much to just to stand up for what they believe in and stand up against Trujillo. In Julia Alvarez’s novel In the Time of the Butterflies, she depicts the Mirabal sisters as revolutionaries through the characteristics of bravery and commitment.

It provides a role in character development shown predominantly in Patrias character. It shows the extent of Trujillo’s actions against the Dominican people by showing Patrias desperateness for her son. These examples depicted in the book show how the theme of religion has an impact on In the Time of the

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.

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.

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.

Trujillo gets worried when he learns about the 14th of June Movement because he knows that the goal of the movement is to overthrow or kill him. One by one, he starts jailing members of the movement, as well as ransacking or destroying their homes. At Patria’s house, Trujillo has the SIM tear “...the house apart, hauling away the doors, windows, the priceless mahogany beams of Pedrito’s old family rancho” (Alvarez 192). The way that he messes with those involved in the movement is cruel. After having their homes ransacked, Trujillo jails only the Mirabal husbands, which makes the sisters think they are safe.

In paragraph 27 it states ,”there were still old cronies of the dictator around who would love an excuse to go after my family after my father ,after her ,” the cronies were loyal servants to the dictator even when he was dead so alvarez's mother thought they were still in danger of being captured or killed ,because of the cronies the mother would live in fear unlike alvarez who didn't fully believe they would come after them . Alvarez wrote her novels knowing they may wreak havoc on her family members who were still in the dominican republic and maybe her parents and sisters. In paragraph 29 and 30 it talks about the last novel she wrote about the island and how her mother thought about it ,”I don't care what happens to us i'm so proud of you ,” her mother says ,alvarez wrote the novel at the risk of her family but her mother and her new the story had to be told and the things the people had to go through

But their fear did not prevail their determination to illuminate their intention to bring down the regime. They faced their death because they knew they couldn’t give up easily. Although Trujillo did not lose his power right away, the death of the Mirabel’s sister did illuminate their cause. The determination and their gender was the main reason why Trujillo, felt

From the moment that the Dominican republic was free from Trujillo’s dictatorship, contrasting viewpoints have come up regarding the sacrifices of the Mirabal sisters. While some argue that the Mirabal sisters sacrifices were not beneficial and worthwhile to the revolution because it resulted in the orphaning of their children and three young lives were lost. Others argue that the Mirabal sisters sacrifices were effective for the revolution since it changed the future of their country. I deem the sisters sacrifices are justifiable because their sacrifices had an important purpose. Isn’t it true that Trujillo's was absolutely in power for 31 years however, because of the three young sisters his cruel regime ended.