In the Time of the Butterflies is a novel by Julia Alvarez, fictionalizing the lives of the Mirabal sisters from their personal accounts of what happened during the time. It recounts the rebellion against Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic. The main characters are the Mirabal sisters, Patria, Minerva, Dedé, and María Teresa. The story is set after the US left the Dominican Republic in 1930, when Trujillo became its r...
more
In the Time of the Butterflies is a novel by Julia Alvarez, fictionalizing the lives of the Mirabal sisters from their personal accounts of what happened during the time. It recounts the rebellion against Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic. The main characters are the Mirabal sisters, Patria, Minerva, Dedé, and María Teresa. The story is set after the US left the Dominican Republic in 1930, when Trujillo became its ruler, despite the fact that he was a known rapist. Minerva who is the most independent sister begins to realize the horrible actions of Trujillo through her school friend Sinita who is a victim of this dictator, near the start of the novel. Throughout the novel, the Mirabal sisters begin to realize the injustice of Trujillo's dictatorship on the Dominican people. The butterfly becomes their symbol, which represents independence - their main goal against Trujillo's dictatorship. A common theme is the ruinous effect that dictatorship can have...
less
