In The Time Of The Butterflies

In the Time of the Butterflies

“In the Time of the Butterflies,” by Julia Alvarez, penetrates into the lives of four women and how they enter

the underground of the dictatorship, Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican. Each one of the girls has their own special way of affecting the Military Intelligence Service. Through out the book the author states (SIM).

Minerva is the next to the youngest sister that is first to get involved with the underground. She is seeing a doctor from the University and finds out that he is a communist. She becomes more intrigued after hearing this and spends many nights secretly talking about the government with him, and what they can do to help bring the dictator down. Minerva is independent and strong willed. What her family says doesn’t convince her not to see Lio. If anything, their combating makes her stronger and more convinced to participate in the underground. Lio flees the country and wants Minerva to go with him, but her father hides his letters in attempt to protect his daughter. Good thing she didn’t go, because she and her husband Manolo end up starting the underground from “Monte Cristi to Salcedo, connecting cell with cell” (257). History may have been drastically changed if she she had gone with Lio.

Maria Teresa, nicknamed Mate, is the youngest sister and easily follows in Minerva’s quest. As time goes on she is introduced to the other followers, and they end up storing weapons in her apartment. When a young man shows up to drop off more weapons, Mate falls in love with the revolutionary and decides to follow her heart and gets even deeper involved in the underground with her sister. She doesn’t have the same drive as Minerva, but she is a romantic and the guy in front of her makes the way. Their relationship helps to keep Mate happy, but soon life becomes very serious. Mate and Minerva are taken away to prison after they become more of a threat to the regime. The Mirabal sisters become known through out the Latino world, by their fight toward El Jeffe and his regime. Most everyone in the Dominican is behind them. Minerva is strong and can stand up to the prison guards, but Mate is more shy and scared. She is terrified that they may end up being killed. She hangs on though, and ends up being told to speak to a journalist from Panama. She is asked because the guards think that she will be too scared to say anything to expose the Dominican Government. Mate is convinced by Minerva, to hide a note from her journal into her thick long hair, explaining that people are being killed, and there is no food for them. The conditions are not suitable for anyone in this hell hole. Maria is scared that the note may be found by one of the guards. That is the most difficult action Mate ever does. She put her life in danger for the cause. When Mate is released her inner strength increases. Her strength comes from writing in her journal, and the journal ends up saving their lives when the note successfully reaches the hands of international inspectors who come to help them. They are released shortly after that interview, and put in house arrest. It’s a blessing, but their husbands were still somewhere and they were scared for their lives.

Patria is the oldest and most religious of the sisters. She fights in a way that everything can be solved with God by their side. She finds it unimaginable what her sisters are doing and will have nothing to do with it. She prays all the time for their safety. When her sisters approach her about burying weapons in her yard, she is appalled and says no way. She needs to get away from all the tension, so she plans a trip to a religious retreat in the mountains. Peace is with her finally when there is a loud explosion and the building begins to crumble around her. She sees a young boy running and not going down as a distant voice says, “get down!” Patria yells to the boy as he falls to the ground after being hit by gunshot. After she crawls out of the building and down the mountain, in disbelief she sees her sisters and their husbands. After the short reunion of fears, she informs them that she is in with them. The underground group ends up meeting at her house, against her husband’s will, but he joins in with his wife. Patria is stronger than ever after watching that young rebel being shot down. Patria lied to the SIM to protect her son. Nothing could protect her from what happens next. “I heard the stomping, the running, the yelling. I saw the house burning” (210). All she could do was pray. They were all caught and taken to jail. After she lost her husband, son and house, she moved into her Mama’s house. Patria was spared the jail sentence and she felt guilty. By this time, Dede was just as involved as her sisters and husbands, and didn’t understand why she wasn’t taken away also. She prayed all the time for their safety.

Dede is domestic and devoted to family and opposed to the resistance. She hides behind her husband to seek peace. Dede is the sister that has the most fear about what may happen. She is the good girl and dedicated to look out over her sisters. She knows of one thing that she can do to help them. “She