In The Time Of The Butterflies Summary

In the Time of the Butterflies
Julia Alvarez
Published by Plume, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc.
1994
325 Pages

Although it is a novel of fiction, the historical facts that are mentioned in the novel, In the Time of the Butterflies written by Julia Alvarez, come alive through the lens of four courageous sisters pushing reformations for all. Living as a prosperous farming family in the city of Ojo de Agua in the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1960, the Mirabal family was privileged enough to have four strong-headed daughters named Maria Theresa, Minerva, Patria, and Dede. The sisters were lucky enough to be given an excellent education from attending the Colegio de Inmaculada Concepcion, or the school
Not only were the sisters influenced, but the sisters became influential legends themselves to women, and men, all across Latin America hoping to make efforts for women to live with more benefits and less restrictions. In addition, the sisters’ reforms were of allowing free elections, putting bad presidents into their respective places (out of office), enabling Free Zones to go up everywhere, and kicked off the prosperity of the country with the building of clubs and resorts (Alvarez
In the historical references located at the end of the novel titled “The Postscripts,” Julia Alvarez explained in detail that although she had extensively researched the Mirabal sisters and the regime of Trujillo, some of the characters and dates were changed in an attempt to make the readers mind travel into what it could have been like to someone who was not there (Alvarez 323-324). Alvarez was the speaker behind the sisters, therefore she was their interpreter, their voice, she did not have enough accurate information to write a biography, and therefore she added fictitious elements to liven their spirits. The spirits of the Patricia, Maria Theresa, and Minerva will always be remembered by many because of their tremendous efforts to resist Trujillo’s regime and to restore a democracy that would enable many more liberties amongst the Dominicans.

Works Cited

Alvarez, Julia. IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, a division of Workman Publishing Company, New York City, © 1994 and Plume, an imprint of Dutton Signet, a division of Penguin Books, USA, © 1995. By permission of Susan Bergholz Literary Services, New York City and Lamy, NM. All rights reserved.
"Bienvenida | Colegio Inmaculada Concepcion." Bienvenida. Colegio Inmaculada Concepcion,