The Time Of Butterflies Courage Analysis

Faith not Fear ¨Courage is acting in faith despite your feelings of fear.¨ (Joel Balin) Fear is strong and controlling emotion. Although, a person who has faith and a good well being can conquer the vigorous feeling of fear. The Mirabel sisters from The Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez displayed courage in the own way throughout the book. Patria displayed courage not just by her involvement in the movement, but how she would do anything to keep her family safe. Courage is demonstrated through Patria when she agreed to join the movement to better the life of her children, also by her asking Pena to help her son get released from prison. Patria will decide to join the movement, but at this time, patria wants nothing to do with the movement.
The movement has become stronger and the government wants to contain the progress. People are getting arrest left and right. Patrias family starts to become imprisoned, her sister, husband, and child. Patria quickly becomes frantic and trys to think of ways to get her soon out of prison. As time goes on and her son is still in prison, this man from the SIMs starts to stop by at the house. In the beginning, Patria despises him coming by the house. He talks to her about her husband and attempts to anger Patria. Over time Patria and Pena became acquaintances and nice with each other. Still all Patria wants is to get her son out of prison. She decides to use her acquaintance with Pena to ask for help, “I had planned to make an impassioned plea, but no words came out of my mouth….Suddenly, it all came out, along with the tears. How I had read in the papers about El Jefe excusing minors, how my baby boy had just turned eighteen in prison, how I wonder if there was anything at all Pena could do to get boy pardon,” (Alvarez 216). All Patria wants is to get her son out of prison. That she goes as far as to ask a person who was part of the government that is imprisoning her family, but the thought of her son in prison for anymore time is too much for Patria. Patria has courage to go to a member of the SIM, risking her own life to save the life of her son. Every action as its own outcome. The outcome of Patria asking Pena to see if he can get her son released from prison payed of in the end. Pena was able to make a few calls and get Nelson released from prison. A few weeks after Patria asks Pena for help. Pena stops by and tells her news about Nelson. As soon as Pena leaves Patria goes to her families and tells them, “Nelson is coming home,” (220 Alvarez). Pena was able to pull of getting her son released from prison. Patria is getting her son back. She can now stop worrying that she