Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies

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In the Time of the Butterflies

Humans have always prized peace, however it always finds itself in a war. War historically has always been all about men, Women have learned to matters into their hands and be strong enough to stand up for themselves too. Without war, how else can people take reprisals against injustices? Is armed revolution necessary? Is it more imperative to be correct than to be happy? Is it our obligation to defy evil and atrocities therein? The three sisters oppose Trujillo’s regime and have various severe consequences. Latin America in the modern day has been shaped the way it is due to past events like the Spanish conquest. The book shows how characters in the book have been a modern day example of daily life in Latin America. Latin America since its inception has been enslaved by a galere of thieving dictators. Dede and Patria are very important characters and illustrate how the hardship of living a living hell is.Latin America has changed from oppression and atrocity-ridden to a much more democratic and social place . Dede is one of the characters the book talks the most about. She is a reflection of the catholic church’s past and power . Her being a nun shows that she obviously had a strong sense of morals. The position of Dede in the book demonstrates the power of the catholic church in those people’s lifes despite the chaos going on around them .

Dede is a survivor in the story and after the tragic fall of the other two characters. She mirrors the characteristics of a butterfly in part that she is free and liberated from the murderous and heinous nature and atrocities of trujillos crime family or regime . The book also shows a brief introduction on how trujillo became the supreme leader of the dominican...

... middle of paper ...

...elling and exposing the truth even if it will cost them their life or at least be in jeopardy of severe reprisals from the affected party.

In conclusion, it is important to keep in mind that Latin America has transformed from a life full of oppression and neglect to liberty and modernization with much more people educated on their rights and such .Dede and Patria are the important pieces in illustrating this by their roles and positions in the book. Through the two the book has showed the importance of the past and how it has contributed towards the present and the making of a better future in Latin America.

Works Cited

Alvarez, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2010. Print.

Novelinks. Daniel Tokarev, 14 06 2003. Web. 14 Apr. 2008.

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