In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is a novel that highlights the struggle of being a woman while being under the regime of General Rafael Trujillo. In the novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, the protagonist, Minerva Mirabal, plays one of the most important roles by starting a revolution and believing that she could change the ideal image of a woman in the Dominican Republic. Minerva and her three sisters are demonstrated in a way that emphasizes the hardships of being a woman during that time. Julia Alvarez traces one of the strongest historical narratives about the Mirabal Sisters during the regime that took place between 1930 and 1961. Patria, Minerva, Dedé and Maria Teresa Mirabal were four strong women that fought against the stereotype established in the Dominican Republic.…
Imagery is a technique frequently used by authors in order to promote the theme(s) that they are attempting to convey to the reader through their work. It is the use of figurative language to represent objects, and communicate ideas to the reader so that they may mentally visualize them, and understand themes in the work of literature. Generally speaking in literature, the reader may only recognize or relate to a few of the themes that the author is portraying through contrasting imagery, but to the author, all of the themes may be of importance. In The Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez conveys many themes through the use of imagery, including sacrifice, feminism and religion. Alvarez uses contrasting imagery to develop the story’s theme…
Today,The Mirabal sisters are honored and recognized as heroines in the Dominican Republic. Thirty-nine years after the sister’s death the following day was enforced, “International Day Against Violence Against Women”. They were classified as symbols of courageous, loving, and sacrificing. In the book “In the Time of the Butterflies” written by Julia Alvarez, the character Minerva Mirabal stood out the most. She was a person who stood up to any and everything she disagreed with.…
In the Time of the Butterflies In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is the story of the Mirabal family during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. The story is told through the perspectives of the 4 sisters, Patria, Dede, Minerva and Maria Teresa as the family is slowly torn apart by the Military Intelligence Service. Minerva was the first of the sisters to become involved in the underground movement against the government.…
Since the regime of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, there has been many historical written pieces about him. Either against or in favor of his regime. It's considered the most bloodiest regime known in latin history. Trujillo as a person is, cruel, selfish, and ignorant. He killed about 20,000 haitians while dictator of the Dominican Republic.…
In the novel "In the time of the Butterfly" by Julia Alvarez theirs four Mirabal sisters that live in Dominican Republic. The Mirabal sisters are all referred to as "butterflies". In the time of the butterflies talks about how the four courageous sisters came together to save their country. The sisters start of by not knowing nothing political to fixing it all. There's time when they struggle and put themselves at risk but they always worked together to go against Trujillo.…
“In The Time of The Butterflies” is the story of three brave sisters who chose to fight against the brutal regime of Rafael Trujillo. Their courage led to the eventual overthrow of Trujillo, despite not being alive to witness the outcomes of their sacrifice, their story will continue to live on through this novel. “In the Time of the Butterflies” was written by Julia Alvarez. Julia Alvarez was born in New York before her parents returned to the Dominican Republic. This is where her father got involved in the underground rebellion against Rafael Trujillo, consequently falling into deep trouble.…
Metamorphosis Everyone in the world has felt some kind of hardship, whether it is the death of a family member, an illness or political oppression. Although many are blessed with stability and safety, much of the world does not know if the next morning is in their future. Julia Alvarez's novel, In the Time of Butterflies, conveys the theme of transformation in each character and the world in which they live. The Mirabal sisters transform throughout the story and in the revolution that starts with them. One only comes to know themselves by the hardships that one faces.…
The novel A Cage of Butterflies by Brian Caswell explores how social norms and stereotypes isolate and ostracise people who don’t fit societal standards, through false preconceptions that prevent communication and the immense pressure to conform to societal conventions. Through his characterisation of the think-tank children and his depiction of their treatment from those outside the facility, Caswell successfully communicates the importance of listening to others and overcoming preconceptions to connect with others, and sends a message of hope to teenagers who don’t fit society’s conventions. The preoccupation with oneself due to social stigma and awkwardness as a barrier to communication is an important issue explored within the novel. Self-centredness often leads to the avoidance of those who are different in order to avoid awkwardness, preventing the connection of people and creating an unbreachable divide between them on the basis of lack of communication. Greg’s crippled legs in the novel show how preconceptions create an immediate barrier to communication that can stop a conversation before it even begins.…
“Faith is seeing light with your heart when all your eyes see is darkness.” This quote perfectly describes Patria who is one of the sisters in the book, In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. This novel takes place in the 1900’s in the Dominican Republic while it was under the rule of Trujillo. Trujillo ran a dictatorship in the Dominican Republic for over 30 years with strict rules and harsh punishments. The story follows the real lives of the Mirabal sisters and each chapter is through one of their perspectives.…
“In the Time of the Butterflies” is a historical novel by Julia Alvarez, relating an account of the Mirabal sisters during the time of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. Maria Teresa is the youngest of the four Mirabal sisters. She is very superficial and materialistic in the beginning of the story, but she becomes a resilient, strong-willed revolutionary hero. Further, Maria Teresa is willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her family’s right for a liberal nation. Maria Teresa is very artificial and bourgeois in the beginning of the story, but she becomes a robust, determined revolutionary hero.…
We all have families that guide us to discover our identity and background, but does that mean we have to follow through the same traditions? The short story “The Moths” by Helena Viramontes tells the story of a fourteen-year-old who describes herself as unattractive, disrespectful and unlike other girls. Although she is mistreated and abused by her family she has an Abuelita who cares for her. She is then forced to care for her ailing Abuelita who is dying through her last days shaping her to become responsible, and discovers a sequence on how she and her family were raised. The story argues that every individual can obtain rebirth through the discovery of self-belonging, self-reflection, and by spreading affection.…
In the book In the Time of the Butterflies, symbolism is used throughout the book. Two objects that are symbolized in the book are the scales on Trujillo’s desk and the dice on Trujillo’s scales. When Minerva enter’s Trujillo’s room, she notices that the scales are unbalanced, as one set of die are weighted, and the other is fairly balanced. The scales represent the power struggle between Trujillo and Minerva, each trying to get the upper hand.…
In The Time of The Butterflies the book, like the movie is about four sisters who are set out to change the way their country is set up. During this time the Dominican Republic is dictated by Rafael Trujillo, also known as El Jefe, who to everyone around them is a man who needs to be worshipped and respected. All the sisters exhibit courage in their own way and take part in a revolution that are shown individually in both the book by Julia Alvarez and the movie directed by Mariano Barroso. Throughout the book the points of views vary within the sisters but in the movie the whole story was told in Minerva`s perspective.…
Transformation of Patria and Maria Teresa – Literary Analysis In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez takes the reader through the lives of the Mirabal sisters as they are living in the Dominican Republic under the rule of Trujillo and leads up to the death of the three sisters, which, was ordered by Trujillo on November 25, 1960 (“In the Time of the Butterflies”). Trujillo was a dictator who controlled his country in every aspect and exterminated those who opposed him including three of the Mirabal sisters who are “symbols of both popular and feminist resistance” (Rohter). Over the course of the novel, Dede and Minerva transform in a variety of ways with societal and governmental changes; however, Patria and Maria Teresa transform…