In The Time of The Butterflies

Julia Alvarez's In the Time of Butterflies fictionalizes the rebellion against the dictator Trujillo in her birth country, the Dominican Republic. While the events of the story are accurate in a broad sense, Alvarez has developed her own versions of the Mirabal sisters, known as "Las Mariposas" -- the Butterflies. What makes the story so powerful is Alvarez's decision not to deify the sisters, but to show the human side of national heroes. The decision to join the revolution does…...

“The nation will find it very hard to look up to the leaders who are keeping their ears to the ground.” These insightful words by Winston Churchill explain that leaders who control people and watch their every move will not be respected by them. As described in the novel, In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, Rafael Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic, was predominant, manipulative, and dishonest. His ruling tormented the people for decades. What people…...

Not only do we actually travel but our minds also allows us to travel within it. Many books give us examples of how our minds are affected and how we get through life. In the time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, is a story broken up in three parts about the Mirabal sisters and their families. Each part started off with Dede telling her life story with an interviewer. The narrators are the four sisters, Dede, Patria, Maria Teresa,…...

Organizational Patterns: In the Time of the Butterflies is organized into three parts—Part I, Part II, and Part III. These parts are followed by an Epilogue critical to the story. Each part of the book consists of four chapters, each chapter is told by a different narrator. The narrators are the four Mirabal sisters (aka the butterflies), Dede, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patria. As each chapter changes narrators, bits and pieces of the story are revealed as each different personality…...

“Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear; The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.”- Meg Cabot. (Goodreads). Many people make courageous decisions on a daily basis, but mostly these decisions are made in a cautious manner. Most courageous decisions are made by people looking out for themselves, and thinking before they react. But, there are very few people who make decisions based…...

Courage is valued among the characters, and they display it in varying amounts. Among all the sisters Minerva shows the most courage. First she starts off by wanting to be a lawyer and she is not afraid of speaking her mind. She goes to a boarding school where she meets a girl who is against Trujillo and learns how bad Trujillo really is. This is when she begins to start acting rebellious. Once she is older, Minerva’s family is invited…...