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Samantha Moya

AP Literature

Ind. Study Project

October 15, 2008

In the Time of the Butterflies

Growing up in a country where everything is limited and almost everything is restricted,

a young woman is forced to relinquish to her future. There is a limited amount of women who

stand up for their rights and fight for their rights and for their beliefs. Much respect is given to

those women, who knowing the possible obstacles, continue their sacrifice to achieve their

aspirations for freedom. Respectively three sisters from the Dominican Republic can be

acknowledged as idols; the Mirabal sisters- Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patria are recognized as

“Las Mariposas” (The Butterflies). Known for giving their lives to freedom, people symbolized

the sisters with butterflies. These renowned butterflies were courageous women whom where

famous leaders of a great freedom underground movement in the Dominican Republic.

In 1924, the United States left Rafael Leonidas Trujillo in charge of the Dominican

National Guard. Later, in 1930 he ran for president of the nation and deviously won 95 percent

of the vote. By this time he had gained a respective amount of power and was soon considered a

dictator. He then realized that he had great power and founded the SIM (Military Intelligence

Service), which allowed him to commit monstrosities to the people of the nation. Many of his

wrongful doings were documented but were ignored by the rest of the world. Issues involving

assassinations of his own people and the killing of 20,000 Haitians. Becoming one of the most

notorious dictators of the time, the whole country feared standing up for their rights or to fight

for their freedom. Trujillo seemed to control everything from family conversations to choosing a
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career/or profession. In the nineteen forties, small organized groups of young Dominicans began

oppositions against Trujillo. Even though they were unsuccessful they continued their

organization such as the Dominican Liberation Movement whom resembled one of the

organizations who looked out to make an end to Trujillo’s regime. During the nineteen fifties,

Trujillo’s enemies seemed to be increasing, and he was forced to witness his government being

reprobated. Finally, on May 30, 1961 conspirators accomplished their wishes by assassinating

Trujillo.

The novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez can be described as narrative

of stories of a nation during the time of a dictator. This fiction novel was based on the historical

facts that took place in the Dominican Republic during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. Book

based on the Mirabal sisters whose narratives are fictional stories and that, based on the Mirabal

sisters that contain hard to believe facts as well as depressing family conflicts. Alvarez, being a

Dominican herself wanted to emphasize the Mirabals’ story to a more dramatic storyline while

feeling the responsibility to make a contribution to these heroines.. The readers can assume that

Alvarez wanted to exemplify the sisters’ story as realistically as possible by starting off the book

with an interview of Dede Mirabal. Continuing through the novel brings you to a family

flashback that extends until the end of the book. The main characters of this storyline were the

Mirabal sisters whom are represented by journals and diaries about their everyday life and

lifestyle. These stories mention a variety of encounters between the Mirabals along with

husbands, friends and of course Trujillo “El Jefe”.

The Mirabal family can be classified as an ordinary family that is based upon tradition,

morals and fear; which lived in a town named Ojo de Agua. Of the four sisters Minerva was the

rebellious one and aspired to study law, which soon became another hardship. Being the oldest
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Minerva became more apt of what happened in her countries government. Firstly, Minerva found

out all of Trujillo’s secrets through a classmate, who soon became her best friend. Consequently,

she met a Manolo, an anti-trujillista. As told by Alvarez, Minerva didn’t seem interested in him,

but only in his righteous ways. They soon exchanged their ideas on their government and

Minerva became involved in the underground movements. While enrolled in law school, she was

heavily involved in the movements. Her secret name being “mariposa” or butterfly became

nationwide by the anti-trujillistas. Soon after Minerva’s youngest sister, Maria Teresa, immersed

herself in the movements. Following her sisters footsteps she found herself nicknamed butterfly

as well. Even though their organization was unsuccessful, they inspired others in their country

including: young Dominicans and upper class Dominicans. The Mirabals became idolized for

their righteousness and for their bravery against their dictator. While trying to keep their

organizations a secret, a time transpired where it couldn’t be kept a secret anymore. Trujillo

decided to captivate the two sisters in jail, “to learn a lesson.” After a long period of time Trujillo

set them free under house arrest. The novel ends with them being alive until the epilogue, where

the readers discover what happened to the Mirabal sisters. As Dede continues the epilogue she

mentions: November 25, 1960; the date where Trujillo sent for the assassination of Minerva,

Maria Teresa; along with their sister, Patria, and her husband.

It is evident that Alvarez decided on writing a fictional allegory in which the

“Butterflies” represented freedom through the Mirabal sisters. In this way the readers can

understand the novel by comprehending the growth of the individual characters. The reader is

forced to see the Mirabal’s story through a sense of realism, through their individual growth and

their life experiences. It’s this allegory is divided into three parts which are subdivided by 12

chapters, narrated in first-person point of view, “expressed” by the sisters. Alvarez created
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impactful imagery by dividing the novel into three sections, easing the readers follow ship of the

story. Each section contains an individual chapter of one sister. The three sections are divided by

years: I(1938 to 1946); II(1948 to 1959); III(1960). As the readers continue reading through the

passages, the growth essential for the reader to understand the characters in order to understand

the novel. Another factor that makes this novel an allegory is the fact that Alvarez makes the

butterfly concept seem so reasonable. In addition to an allegory this novel can be classified as a

feminist novel that conveys women’s attributes to today’s world. The Mirabals didn’t necessarily

change the world but they were the first individuals to stand up “or fly” to imprint footsteps.

Being a woman, Minerva has to go through many obstacles in order to attain law school. By

being the only woman attending that institution the reader is able to comprehend the struggles for

women at the time. Minerva had to break through a society where women where only mothers

and faithful housekeepers by tradition. All in all Minerva broke several drawbacks, which

benefits the idea of being a feminist novel.

Julia Alvarez wrote an exceptional novel that reflected the Mirabal sisters’ life. An

allegory that doesn’t only make Minerva, Maria, and Patria appear as leaders of freedom, but it

contributes to women’s ideals and concepts. It is clearly visible that the “Butterflies” will always

play an important role in the Dominican history because of the courage and their divine thrive to

move forward each and every day. In commemoration to the sisters multiple countries celebrate

November 25 as The International Day Against Violence Against Women. The Butterflies were

role model citizens and are looked up to till this day by many Dominicans for their pursuit for

freedom. Although Alvarez didn’t personally know the Mirabals, she managed to convey their

life story through a spectacular novel. As a personal reader, I enjoyed the novel and learned a
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variety of new things that have inspired me to do better in life. I know that these women were

considered heroines of their time and will be honored for many years to come.