These final chapters of the book demonstrate the struggles of the Mirabal sisters in their last years. At first, Dede experiences trouble deciding whether she should join the rebellion or stay loyal to her husband and sons. Leandro, Manolo, Pedrito, and Nelson are caught by the SIM and set to jail. Minerva and Mate are as well. Luckily, Patria is able to communicate with her sisters in jail and send them gifts through one of their half sisters. Patria starts to “pray” to Trujillo to set her son free. He is granted a pardon and Patria gladly reunites. However, when the girls in jail receive a pardon, they do not accept. This is because Minerva says that if the others aren’t going to be pardoned neither will they. On April 11, Mate is whipped
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First, butterflies represent change, like the Mirabal sisters who most definitely change throughout the book. This metamorphosis is most evident with Minerva. She starts off not knowing anything about Trujillo or why he is bad. We see this when Minerva asks, “Trujillo was doing bad things?” (Alvarez 17). Her knowledge grows and she comes out of her cocoon to fight Trujillo. This is evident when the text states, “It was dangerous the way she was speaking out against the government” (Alvarez 51). Minerva is symbolic of a changing butterfly as she starts off naive and grows to become a courageous and strong woman. A butterfly can also represent beauty. Butterflies are beautiful and are often viewed as harmless insects. Likewise, the Mirabal sisters are beautiful, and this is shown when the text states, “‘What a pity,’ they said, ‘such a pretty girl’” (Alvarez 45). They are also viewed as harmless women by Trujillo. Trujillo underestimates the power of the girls and assumes they can’t do much to rebel against him. Additionally, butterflies can be a symbol for unity as they migrate in large packs in the wintertime. Likewise, the Mirabal sisters strive to stick together and travel as a pack in their fight towards freedom. When Mate and Minerva are in jail, unity is a true symbol. This is shown when they are granted a pardon but they decline because they “wouldn’t be free unless everyone else was offered
First, butterflies represent change, like the Mirabal sisters who most definitely change throughout the book. This metamorphosis is most evident with Minerva. She starts off not knowing anything about Trujillo or why he is bad. We see this when Minerva asks, “Trujillo was doing bad things?” (Alvarez 17). Her knowledge grows and she comes out of her cocoon to fight Trujillo. This is evident when the text states, “It was dangerous the way she was speaking out against the government” (Alvarez 51). Minerva is symbolic of a changing butterfly as she starts off naive and grows to become a courageous and strong woman. A butterfly can also represent beauty. Butterflies are beautiful and are often viewed as harmless insects. Likewise, the Mirabal sisters are beautiful, and this is shown when the text states, “‘What a pity,’ they said, ‘such a pretty girl’” (Alvarez 45). They are also viewed as harmless women by Trujillo. Trujillo underestimates the power of the girls and assumes they can’t do much to rebel against him. Additionally, butterflies can be a symbol for unity as they migrate in large packs in the wintertime. Likewise, the Mirabal sisters strive to stick together and travel as a pack in their fight towards freedom. When Mate and Minerva are in jail, unity is a true symbol. This is shown when they are granted a pardon but they decline because they “wouldn’t be free unless everyone else was offered