In the Dominican Republic, women are expected to be confined to their own gender spheres. In Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies the four Mirabal Sisters defy the traditional view of women by embodying freedom, rebellion, and independence. The Mirabal Sisters live in a patriarchal society fighting for what they truly believe in, at the same time conserving their roles as loving women with families. Alvarez successfully challenged the traditional view of women by portraying themselves as “butterflies”. Julia Alvarez is able to not only show the sisters as martyrs, but as true women by showing their personal lives while fighting against Trujillo. Each of the sisters displays a defiance of traditional views in their own way. The so …show more content…
Women at this time were fighting to get out of a patriarchal society and have political action in their countries. They didn’t want to be subject to men, or confined to their gender spheres remaining in their households. The Mirabal Sisters greatly portrayed this. They were assassinated by dictator Rafael Trujillo and are now symbols of martyrdom in the struggle against the dictator (Robinson). The infatuating fight of the Mirabal Sisters began the end of Trujillo’s dictatorship and a new era in the Dominican Republic.
Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies is a novel that greatly portrayed the story of the Mirabal Sisters and how they defied traditional women roles in a confined society. The Mirabal Sisters were four: Patria, Dede, Minerva, and Maria Teresa, consequently. Even though not all formed part of the revolutionary actions, all are exemplary figures of how women should not be limited by society’s obsolete perspectives. The four sisters are referred as “butterflies” due to their evolution throughout this period in the Dominican Republic and how at the end they were able to embody freedom and
…show more content…
I did automatically like a shoot inching its way towards the light” (Alvarez 44). Patria convinced her father to let her attend to a convent, following her religious beliefs. This was common female stereotype at the time. Women were supposed to follow social roles that did not expose them as much, being a nun would conform to the norms of the time. With time, Patria surpasses her phase of becoming a nun and marries Pedrito at age sixteen. At the beginning Patria is not directly involved in revolutionary actions. When she is expecting her last son, Patria has a conversation with Minerva in which it is revealed how she is committed to the revolution in spirit, but not in direct action: “I knew then I had brought it up as a way of letting her know I was with her – if only in spirit” (Alvarez 155). After witnessing the massacre in Constanza, Patria decides to join the revolution. She became involved as a direct consequence of an event. It even got to the point that in her house the 14th of June Movement was founded: “The fourteenth of June: how could I ever forget that day!” (Alvarez 160). She could not stand the thought of not being part in a revolution where people were innocently murdered and hurt. Hence, Patria became what is known in the novel as a “butterfly”. Patria was able to defy the stereotype of women by
In the Time of the Butterflies is a historical fiction novel written by Julia Alvarez. The book focuses on the lives of the four Mirabal sisters who were killed on November 25th, 1960 as a result of organizing against the government. Throughout the novel, the sisters are oppressed and hurt by the many men in their lives. The book takes a view that is not very tolerant of men. The men often do things that hurt the women in their lives, such as physically hurt them, cheat on them, or control them against their will.
Discuss the ways in which Rosario Castellanos challenges and subverts gender stereotypes in her work? In this essay I am going to examine and discuss the work of one of Mexico’s most important literary figures, Rosario Castellanos, with particular emphasis on her feministic beliefs and the ways in which she used her writing to catapult her views into the forefront of society. Her writing reflects bitterness regarding the desires and misfortunes of the female population of her nation. Castellanos used poetry, novels and plays as a platform to voice the many inequalities that she deemed prevalent in society at that time.
As a reader just being introduced to the character Patria with this quote you can clearly tell Julia Alvarez’s intent on how we look at Patria. The author intends to show and describe the character as a
Gaining Color In the beginning, butterflies’ wings are transparent and colorless. By growing and flying in the light, they are able to stain their wings and achieve the vibrant colorful wings they are famous for. The Mirabal sisters did not start off as the faces of the underground revolution against Trujillo.
Focusing on Patria, after listening to advice about joining the revolution she has made her final conclusions about what she wanted to do about the situation. Julia Alvarez uses Patria's faith in God as an illustration of courage. Patria is a very religious person. She used her faith in God to help her get through difficult situations demonstrating moral, physical, and emotional courage in time of danger.
As the eldest sister, Patria is introduced as a motherly figure toward her sisters. She married at a young age and was happy being a wife and mother. Her Christianity is central to her character, and although it was tested due to the death of her stillborn child, a retreat in the mountains with her church group profoundly affects both her faith and her view of the rebellion. At the retreat, Patria witnesses a young rebel, not much older than her own daughter, being shot and killed by Trujillo’s guard force.
Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies is a work of historical fiction set in the Dominican Republic that focuses on the four Mirabal sisters who bond together to rebel against the corrupt leader of their country, Rafael Trujillo. The four Mirabal sisters, Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa form closer relationships with each other as they figure out a way to bring down the tyranny of Rafael Trujillo. Although they have a mutual goal, each of the Mirabal sisters has different feelings and thoughts throughout this time period. The theme of coming-of-age and identify is best exemplified through the character of María Teresa, known as Mate, through the ways she matures throughout the novel and becomes her own person who stands up for what she believes in.
Lola takes advantage of her deteriorating mother whose illness represents the declining hold of the norms over Lola. Since her mom “will have trouble lifting her arms over her head for the rest of her life,” Lola is no longer afraid of the “hitting” and grabbing “by the throat” (415,419). As a child of a “Old World Dominican Mother” Lola must be surrounded by traditional values and beliefs that she does not want to claim, so “as soon as she became sick” Lola says, “I saw my chance and I’m not going to pretend or apologize; I saw my chance and I eventually took it” (416). When taking the opportunity to distinguish herself from the typical “Dominican daughter” or ‘Dominican slave,” she takes a cultural norm like long hair and decides to impulsively change it (416). Lola enjoyed the “feeling in [her] blood, the rattle” that she got when she told Karen to “cut my hair” (418).
Imagine you and your family living under a gruesome dictator and having no freedom . Julia alvarez “ a genetics of justice “ is a novel about a young girl and her family living under a dictator with a totalitarian government in the dominican government. In this novel you learn about her journey and how she becomes to be the women she is today . “No flies fly into a closed mouth “is a quote used by her mother through the text. In the novel it also talks about the dictator and is unusual daily life .
Although the world has managed to bring significant changes toward women’s empowerment, there is still more to do. It’s important to see that Rafael’s actions and attitude do not come from his own intentional choices, rather he acts this way due to the generational transmission of this ideal from father. To stop this cycle, change must come from the root which means men need to be better educated about the negative impact of machoism. They ought to understand the role of the women, the freedom a child needs and the consequence of machismo. Henriquez’s goal with her book is to portray the reality of these unknown Americans.
In society many find that males hold dominance and make all of the major choices. This is just a stereotype that many people seem to believe. There are many stereotypes for a variety of concepts but that does not mean they are true. There are few females that stand up against sexist stereotypes, but for the few people who have spoken out against them literature has been an effective way of getting their message out. Feminism has impacted literature in several ways; it allows people to share their messages about stereotypes.
The Mirabal sisters, also known as La Mariposas, have been known throughout the Dominican Republic for participating in a major revolution against their unjust ruler, Rafael Trujillo. After years of the sisters’ hard-work, along with the others who were involved in the revolution, their work paid off when Trujillo's regime ended with his assassination. However, in order for them to have taken part in this act against Trujillo, the Mirabal sisters had to sacrifice several things from their lives, most importantly, their freedom and their relationship with their family. Many people believe that these sacrifices were not necessary because the sisters didn’t need to go to the extent where the end result would be them orphaning their children. Nonetheless,
From the moment that the Dominican republic was free from Trujillo’s dictatorship, contrasting viewpoints have come up regarding the sacrifices of the Mirabal sisters. While some argue that the Mirabal sisters sacrifices were not beneficial and worthwhile to the revolution because it resulted in the orphaning of their children and three young lives were lost. Others argue that the Mirabal sisters sacrifices were effective for the revolution since it changed the future of their country. I deem the sisters sacrifices are justifiable because their sacrifices had an important purpose. Isn’t it true that Trujillo's was absolutely in power for 31 years however, because of the three young sisters his cruel regime ended.
Four beautiful Dominican heroines known as the Butterflies make a big change on the world for women. “Each represent courage, love, and sacrifice”. The Butterflies bravely went against their ruler Trujillo and went through a lot of troubles. One of the four Butterflies whom were the bravest is Minerva. Minerva was the oldest, and wanted to go to law school.
Throughout history, women have made a name for themselves. By rising up and fighting for something that they believed in, the Mirabal sisters made a name for themselves in the Dominican Republic and in Julia Alvarez’s novel In the Time of the Butterflies. By applying a theory to a novel, readers can relate the book to the world they are living in today (Davidson). Feminism can be defined as a dynamic philosophy and social movement that advocates for human rights and gender equality (“Feminism”). Feminist Theory involves looking at how women in novels are portrayed, how female characters are reinforcing stereotypes or undermining them, and the challenges that female characters face (Davidson).