Summary Of In The Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez

Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies is a work of historical fiction set in the Dominican Republic, during the oppressive regime of Rafael Trujillo ultimately about the story of the Mirabal sisters, who band together to fight for freedom against their oppressive tyrannical ruler. Dede, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patria show great determination, strength, faithfulness, and courage in their fight for freedom against their patriarchal government. The four Mirabal sisters value freedom through their fight for common good, but they each contribute different ideas to the novel, by incorporating their individual beliefs and personalities in their chapters. “Sweet Patria” Mirabal is the eldest sister becomes the mother figure for the rest of the sisters and primarily values her faith throughout the story, which motivates her and gives her …show more content…
The theme of religious faith in a less than ideal world in In the Time of the Butterflies is best exemplified through the character of Patria through her choice to remain faithful to God and her religion, despite facing many hardships in her life, which could have caused her to lose faith.

Patria always values her religion as a significant part of her life as a foundation that gives her strength, however she experiences a slight loss of faith when she faces the extreme hardship of the death of her first baby boy that tests her faith. For as long as Patria remembers, she recognizes the fact that her religion is a large part of her life. Patria uses her faith as a foundation for her to stand on to giver her strength and hope for the future. Acting as another mother figure for her younger sisters, Patria wants this to be true for them as well, so she emphasizes the importance of faith, “I worry that you’re losing your faith,”