In the Time of the Butterflies
Deanna Sheehy
Take-Home Test
In the Time of the Butterflies
1. All the sisters lose their innocence pretty early into the novel. Minerva was the first to learn about the real world around her. While at boarding school with Patria and Maria Teresa, she meets a girl named Sinita who tells her the truth about Trujillo. Minerva realizes that her country isn’t as she thought it was. Patria realizes the same thing while out on a retreat in the mountains. She witnesses a young man about the age of Noris, get gunned down. That’s when she realizes how bad the Dominican Republic is getting because of Trujillo. Maria Teresa was very immature throughout the novel but once the girls were taken to prison, she had really become aware of the trouble she had gotten herself into. Dede loses her innocence the same way Maria Teresa does. When the girls were arrested, she was forced to take care of the children and be strong for the rest of her family. 2. When Minerva says she “got free” I think she is saying that if she would have never went to boarding school she would have never gotten involved in the revolution. When Minerva leaves to boarding school, she meets Sinita. Sinita was the one who unraveled the real truth about Trujillo to Minerva. When Minerva learns the truth, she decides to change it. When Minerva says she “got free” she is referring to her innocence. She would have still been stuck at home believing the lies her family was telling her. 3. All of the Mirabal sisters never knew Trujillo personally until after they were sent off to boarding school. From the moment after the play, when Sinita pointed the bow at Trujillo, he became involved in all of their lives. Later in the novel, the family is invited to a party he is hosting. At the party, Minerva slaps Trujillo in the face. You notice that Trujillo gets closer to their lives at that point. He helps Minervas father out of prison, he sends the girls to prison, and he even goes to the Mirabal home
Take-Home Test
In the Time of the Butterflies
1. All the sisters lose their innocence pretty early into the novel. Minerva was the first to learn about the real world around her. While at boarding school with Patria and Maria Teresa, she meets a girl named Sinita who tells her the truth about Trujillo. Minerva realizes that her country isn’t as she thought it was. Patria realizes the same thing while out on a retreat in the mountains. She witnesses a young man about the age of Noris, get gunned down. That’s when she realizes how bad the Dominican Republic is getting because of Trujillo. Maria Teresa was very immature throughout the novel but once the girls were taken to prison, she had really become aware of the trouble she had gotten herself into. Dede loses her innocence the same way Maria Teresa does. When the girls were arrested, she was forced to take care of the children and be strong for the rest of her family. 2. When Minerva says she “got free” I think she is saying that if she would have never went to boarding school she would have never gotten involved in the revolution. When Minerva leaves to boarding school, she meets Sinita. Sinita was the one who unraveled the real truth about Trujillo to Minerva. When Minerva learns the truth, she decides to change it. When Minerva says she “got free” she is referring to her innocence. She would have still been stuck at home believing the lies her family was telling her. 3. All of the Mirabal sisters never knew Trujillo personally until after they were sent off to boarding school. From the moment after the play, when Sinita pointed the bow at Trujillo, he became involved in all of their lives. Later in the novel, the family is invited to a party he is hosting. At the party, Minerva slaps Trujillo in the face. You notice that Trujillo gets closer to their lives at that point. He helps Minervas father out of prison, he sends the girls to prison, and he even goes to the Mirabal home