In The Time Of The Butterflies Summary
In Julia Alvarez’s “In The Time of the Butterflies”, the four Mirabal sisters, Minerva, Maria Teresa, Patria, and Dedé, struggle with accepting principles such as courage, freedom, andfear. As the sisters began to become symbols for freedom during a revolution, each must discover what these concepts mean to them and how to apply them in their fight against a dictatorship. When Trujillo, dictator of the Dominican Republic, sends three of the Mirabal sisters to prison in an attempt to silence their rebellion, Maria Teresa begins to develop a deeper understanding of her role alongside her sisters in the battle against Trujillo, as well as concepts of courage and bravery. In prison, Maria Teresa feels inspired and understands the true feeling of
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courage as she comprehends the impact her sister, Minerva, has made on the fellow prisoners as they call out, “¡Viva la Mariposa!” (238) while the guards drag Minerva away. After witnessing her sister’s small act of rebellion and the other inmates’ reactions, Maria Teresa described, “Tears came to my eyes. Something big and powerful spread its wings inside me” (238). Watching and experiencing first-hand the amount of influence the rebellion has over the prisoners inspires a feeling of true courage within Maria Teresa. She describes the feeling of “something big and powerful” taking hold inside her. The use of these strong adjectives indicates the immense feelings this experience invokes in her, as Maria Teresa begins to feel a kind of determination she has never before understood. She illustrates the fact that she felt this “spread its wings inside me”(238), the use of the word wings in this passage further demonstrates the butterfly imagery, as the prisoners refer to Minerva and the other sisters as “Mariposa”, which translates to butterfly. As butterflies go through the process of metamorphosis, they start out as small caterpillars and eventually transform into butterflies, Maria Teresa undergoes the same kind of transformation. She starts out as a the timid and less involved youngest sister, but after witnessing the effects of her sister’s fortitude and determination, Maria Teresa feels the same essence of courage take flight inside her. Despite her previously shy and demure behavior, after watching and understanding the way that the symbol of the butterflies has impacted and given hope to the prisoners, Maria Teresa begins to feel the presence of courage she has always looked for.
Maria Teresa describes the feeling, “Courage, I told myself. And this time, I felt it,” (238). This particular passage highlights Maria Teresa’s initial thoughts of uncertainty towards what she is feeling, as she then has to convince herself that what she feels is actually courage. As she has to convince herself that this is what courage feels like, it seems Maria Teresa has not experienced this fearlessness before, making it an even more important moment, signifying an even more dramatic change. She then goes on to say “And this time, I felt it”, emphasizing the fact that feelings of courage and bravery are no longer empty words to her, and after watching Minerva’s small but significant action of defiance, she understands what these notions truly mean to her. Much like the way a butterfly undergoes metamorphosis, Maria Teresa experiences courage, something she has always sought out, for the first time, proving she no longer has to assure herself of feelings that are not
present.
Despite the fact that Maria Teresa is first introduced as the youngest and less involved sister, after spending time in prison with Patria and Minerva, she begins to understand the true feeling of courage. Nevertheless, it is the actions of Minerva; along with experiencing the effects the Butterflies have on Trujillo’s prisoners, that give’s Maria Teresa the opportunity to understand how she can be courageous and fight alongside her sisters. When she was trying to convince herself that she was brave, the feelings were empty and meaningless, providing her little comfort to ways she was assisting the revolution. However, as she initiates her transformation, like a butterfly, she begins to truly understand what these notions of freedom and courage mean to her, as well as how she can apply them to her fight against Trujillo.
courage as she comprehends the impact her sister, Minerva, has made on the fellow prisoners as they call out, “¡Viva la Mariposa!” (238) while the guards drag Minerva away. After witnessing her sister’s small act of rebellion and the other inmates’ reactions, Maria Teresa described, “Tears came to my eyes. Something big and powerful spread its wings inside me” (238). Watching and experiencing first-hand the amount of influence the rebellion has over the prisoners inspires a feeling of true courage within Maria Teresa. She describes the feeling of “something big and powerful” taking hold inside her. The use of these strong adjectives indicates the immense feelings this experience invokes in her, as Maria Teresa begins to feel a kind of determination she has never before understood. She illustrates the fact that she felt this “spread its wings inside me”(238), the use of the word wings in this passage further demonstrates the butterfly imagery, as the prisoners refer to Minerva and the other sisters as “Mariposa”, which translates to butterfly. As butterflies go through the process of metamorphosis, they start out as small caterpillars and eventually transform into butterflies, Maria Teresa undergoes the same kind of transformation. She starts out as a the timid and less involved youngest sister, but after witnessing the effects of her sister’s fortitude and determination, Maria Teresa feels the same essence of courage take flight inside her. Despite her previously shy and demure behavior, after watching and understanding the way that the symbol of the butterflies has impacted and given hope to the prisoners, Maria Teresa begins to feel the presence of courage she has always looked for.
Maria Teresa describes the feeling, “Courage, I told myself. And this time, I felt it,” (238). This particular passage highlights Maria Teresa’s initial thoughts of uncertainty towards what she is feeling, as she then has to convince herself that what she feels is actually courage. As she has to convince herself that this is what courage feels like, it seems Maria Teresa has not experienced this fearlessness before, making it an even more important moment, signifying an even more dramatic change. She then goes on to say “And this time, I felt it”, emphasizing the fact that feelings of courage and bravery are no longer empty words to her, and after watching Minerva’s small but significant action of defiance, she understands what these notions truly mean to her. Much like the way a butterfly undergoes metamorphosis, Maria Teresa experiences courage, something she has always sought out, for the first time, proving she no longer has to assure herself of feelings that are not
present.
Despite the fact that Maria Teresa is first introduced as the youngest and less involved sister, after spending time in prison with Patria and Minerva, she begins to understand the true feeling of courage. Nevertheless, it is the actions of Minerva; along with experiencing the effects the Butterflies have on Trujillo’s prisoners, that give’s Maria Teresa the opportunity to understand how she can be courageous and fight alongside her sisters. When she was trying to convince herself that she was brave, the feelings were empty and meaningless, providing her little comfort to ways she was assisting the revolution. However, as she initiates her transformation, like a butterfly, she begins to truly understand what these notions of freedom and courage mean to her, as well as how she can apply them to her fight against Trujillo.