Before We Were Free, By Julia Alvarez

Ethan McKay Ms. Mayer English 7-5 28 May 2024 Flourish in the Dark “Do what you can with what you have, where you are.” Theodore Roosevelt In every route that seems bleak and hopeless, there’s always a way to get out, even when it seems like all hope is lost. We are like saplings flourishing and blooming in the soothing rays of the sun, but every once in a while, there's going to be a storm. We are blowing away all our friends, family, and everything we once had, yet we can’t do anything to bring them back. All we can do is try to do everything to protect ourselves and to grow so that one day we can become a tree to protect our family. One such sapling is Anita. Born during Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, a seemingly endless
Continuing the words of Theodore Roosevelt, Anita’s perseverance and unwavering spirit allowed her to grow into a young woman, both physically and mentally. As Anita approaches puberty, different symptoms start to show up; a prime example is her having her first period. “‘Lucinda,’ I shook her up. ‘There’s blood...’...'” (72). Anita is frightened by her period as she tries to seek guidance from her older sister Lucinda. This is a pivotal moment for the physical growth of Anita, as it means she’s starting puberty and stepping into womanhood. All the physical growth Anita is experiencing is essential because not only does everyone have to go through this process, but it also adds strength and tolerance to much more traumatizing and difficult moments in life. With all the physical growth that she is experiencing, she starts to take on more responsibilities and challenges, which will start to shape her mental state. After entering puberty, Anita starts to have a shift in perspective about different aspects of her life right now and comes to understand the much more complicated challenges her family is going through right