In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, is a work of
historical fiction based on the true story of the four Mirabal sisters who fought for freedom from the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the mid to late 20th century Dominican Republic
.
Is In the Time of the Butterflies Based on a true story?
Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies (1994) is a work of historical fiction based on
the lives of the four Mirabal sisters
, who participated in underground efforts to topple Rafael Leonidas Trujillo's three-decade-long dictatorial regime in the Dominican Republic.
What is the theme of In the Time of the Butterflies?
There are many themes that resound through this novel, but the most obvious are
the fight against dictatorship, the importance of family, and courage in the face of danger
.
What was Alvarez's purpose for writing In the Time of the Butterflies?
Three of the four sisters were assassinated during the last days of the Trujillo regime. Although the novel portrays a real situation that occurred in history, Alvarez wrote In the Time of the Butterflies as
a fictional story in order to spread awareness of the Mirabal sisters' journey.
Who dies In the Time of the Butterflies?
The Death of
the Mirabal Sisters
was the final blow to the regime of Leónidas Trujillo, who was assassinated six months later. Several of the children of the Mirabal sisters held important posts in the later democratic governments of the Dominican Republic.
What is the conflict in the Time of the Butterflies?
Dede faces the most external and internal conflict throughout the novel
having to deal with deciding not to join the revolution and losing her whole family by the time of Trujillo's reign is over
.
What do butterflies symbolize In the Time of the Butterflies?
In this novel, the Mirabal sisters are called Mariposas (Butterflies). Butterflies symbolize
freedom, beauty and short lives
.
Who is Patria in the Time of Butterflies?
Patria Mercedes Mirabal Reyes is
the oldest of the Mirabal sisters and the most religious
. She wants to become a nun, but she gives this idea up and marries Pedrito at age sixteen. She has three children: Nelson, Noris, and Raúl Ernesto.
Who is the oldest sister In the Time of the Butterflies?
Patria
, the eldest Mirabal sister and butterfly number three, is the slowest of the three sisters…
Why are the Mirabal sisters called Butterflies?
Within the group, the sisters called themselves “Las Mariposas” (“The Butterflies”),
after Minerva's underground name
. … Minerva and María Teresa were incarcerated but were not tortured thanks to mounting international opposition to Trujillo's regime.
What inspired Julia Alvarez's writing?
She found inspiration for her work from
a small painting from 1894 by Pierre Bonnard called The Circus Rider
. Her poems, critic Elizabeth Coonrod Martínez suggests, give voice to the immigrant struggle. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, Alvarez's first novel, was published in 1991, and was soon widely acclaimed.
Why is In the Time of the Butterflies important?
Julia Alvarez' 1994 novel In the Time of the Butterflies gives fictional voices to the real-life political martyrs, the Mirabal sisters. The book is famous
because it's the first English-language literary look at the infamous Trujillo era in the Dominican Republic
.
What did the Mirabal sisters fight for?
The group's primary goal was
to oppose Trujillo's regime
. They informed the public about Trujillo's crimes and openly spoke about the injustices committed under his ruling. On the 25th of November in 1960 some henchmen, following the orders of Trujillo, killed them savagely and brutally.
What does jaimito mean when he says this is your martyrdom Dede to be alive without them?
“This is your martyrdom, Dede, to be alive without them.” Speaker? Meaning? Jaimito says this. It means
that Dede's purpose was to remain alive in order to talk about her sisters.
What tone does dedé use when recalling the trial and its aftermath?
What tone does Dede use when recalling the trial and it's aftermath? Dede's tone is
nervous and apprehensive
when recalling the trail she also has an air of complacency.
Why was in the Time of the Butterflies banned?
So we were surprised and distressed when we first heard about the school board's decision to ban Julia Alvarez's novel ”In the Time of the Butterflies”
because it included a drawing showing how to build a bomb
[”School Board Questions Fitness of Book Because of Bomb Diagram,” Oct. 1].
