Flashcards for In the Time of the Butterflies

Dedé Mirabal

Dedé Mirabal is the second-oldest of the four Mirabal sisters and serves as the novel's framing narrator—the one who survived.

character

Enrique Mirabal

Enrique Mirabal is the head of the Mirabal family in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies.

character

Jaimito (Dedé's Husband)

Jaimito is Dedé Mirabal's husband in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies.

character

Manolo Tavárez

Manolo Tavárez is the husband of Minerva Mirabal and plays a key role in the underground resistance against Trujillo's dictatorship in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies.

character

María Teresa Mirabal

María Teresa Mirabal, known as "Mate," is the youngest of the four Mirabal sisters in Julia Alvarez's novel.

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Minerva Mirabal

Minerva Mirabal is the ideological heart of Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies.

character

Patria Mirabal

Patria Mercedes Mirabal, the oldest of the four sisters in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies, starts off as the most devoutly religious and seemingly compliant of the Mirabal daughters.

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Pedrito González

Pedrito González is the husband of Patria Mirabal and a dedicated, hardworking campesino farmer whose quiet commitment to his land and family supports Patria's domestic life throughout the novel.

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Rafael Trujillo

Rafael Trujillo looms over the Dominican Republic as the ever-present dictator and the novel's main antagonist, even though he rarely appears directly in the text.

character

Sinita Perozo

Sinita Perozo is a secondary but crucial character in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies, introduced as Minerva Mirabal's closest friend at the Inmaculada Concepción school.

character

“Something is happening out there. Something is happening out there that we must face.”

This line is delivered by Patria Mirabal in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies, during a crucial moment when Patria starts to awaken politically and spiritually to the harsh realities of Trujillo's dictatorship in the Dominican Republic.

Patria Mirabal · Chapter 7

“You saved your life. But I lost mine.”

This powerful line is delivered by Minerva Mirabal to her husband Manolo in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies.

Minerva Mirabal

“We were not just fighting for ourselves, but for all the women of this country.”

This quote is from Minerva Mirabal, one of the four Mirabal sisters featured in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies (1994).

Minerva Mirabal

“I am not afraid of death. I am afraid of not living fully.”

This quote is delivered by Minerva Mirabal, one of the four sisters central to Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies (1994).

Minerva Mirabal

“A terrible darkness had settled over our beautiful island.”

This line is from Julia Alvarez's historical novel In the Time of the Butterflies (1994), which tells the story of the Mirabal sisters during the harsh Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic.

Dedé Mirabal (narrator)

“I am the last of the butterflies, the one who stayed behind.”

This line is spoken by Dedé Mirabal, the last surviving Mirabal sister, in Julia Alvarez's historical novel In the Time of the Butterflies (1994).

Dedé Mirabal · Dedé's chapters (framing narrative)

“How do you choose between your family and your country?”

This poignant question comes from Minerva Mirabal, one of the four sisters featured in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies (1994).

Minerva Mirabal

“I have come to understand that the human heart is a very resilient thing.”

This reflective line is spoken by Dedé Mirabal, the only surviving sister, in Julia Alvarez's historical novel In the Time of the Butterflies (1994).

Dedé Mirabal

“The secret to surviving was to put the past behind you and go on.”

This line is delivered by Dedé Mirabal, the only surviving sister, and it captures the psychological weight she bears throughout Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies (1994).

Dedé Mirabal

“I would be the one to survive to tell their story.”

This line is spoken by Dedé Mirabal, the last surviving sister of the four Mirabal women in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies (1994).

Dedé Mirabal · Dedé's chapters (framing narrative)

“He is the devil, and we have made a pact with him.”

This haunting line comes from Patria Mirabal in Julia Alvarez's historical novel In the Time of the Butterflies (1994).

Patria Mirabal · Patria's chapters (Part Two)

“We were all butterflies. And in a way, I still am.”

This reflective line is delivered by Dedé Mirabal, the only sister who survived, in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies (1994).

Dedé Mirabal

Hair and Physical Appearance

In Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies, hair and physical appearance highlight the struggle between personal identity and political control.

Mariposas (Butterflies)

In Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies, the mariposas—butterflies—act as a multifaceted symbol of change, defiance, and martyrdom.

Minerva's Gloves and the Slap

In Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies, Minerva's gloves and her slap of Trujillo symbolize the fierce defiance of women against a patriarchal regime.

The Cedar Box

In Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies, the cedar box owned by the Mirabal sisters symbolizes hidden resistance, cherished memories, and the heavy burden of secrets.

The Cross / Religious Icons

In Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies, the cross and other religious symbols illustrate the conflict between organized religion and genuine moral bravery.

The Gun

In Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies, the gun captures the chilling mix of violence, bravery, and political rebellion.

Symbolism

The butterfly serves as a central symbol in the novel, working on several levels at once.

Narrative Poem

Alvarez crafts the novel using a braided multi-voice narrative, where each of the four Mirabal sisters — Dedé, Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa — has her own chapters told in her unique voice.

Dramatic Monologue

Each sister's chapters read like an extended dramatic monologue where one consciousness speaks directly to the reader.

Irony

Irony permeates the novel on both structural and local levels.

Imagery

Alvarez's imagery draws deeply from the Dominican landscape and the Catholic liturgical calendar, connecting abstract political themes to vivid sensory details.

Metaphor

Alvarez uses metaphor to express political oppression in deeply personal and bodily ways.

Allusion

The novel is rich with references to Catholic scripture and hagiography that influence how the sisters, particularly Patria, view their lives.

Motif

Hair serves as a powerful motif throughout the novel, symbolizing themes of gender, power, and resistance.

Juxtaposition

Alvarez organizes entire chapters around contrast, placing the sisters' home lives—birthday parties, first communions, courtships—side by side with scenes of state violence.

Extended Metaphor

Dedé's survival unfolds throughout the novel as a powerful metaphor for imprisonment.

Pathetic Fallacy

The Dominican landscape reflects the sisters' emotional and political states throughout the novel.

Aporia

Dedé's story centers around an unresolved question that the novel leaves unanswered: why didn’t she join her sisters in the resistance?

survived

Remained alive after others around you have died, often carrying the burden of being the only one left to remember and speak for those who are gone.

verb · Chapter 1

vessel

A container or carrier — here used to describe the human body as something that holds and carries the Holy Spirit, a sacred presence.

noun · Chapter 2

mapped out

Planned or laid out in advance, with every step already decided, as if drawn on a map so there is no uncertainty about where you are going.

phrase · Chapter 2

convent

A religious community where women called nuns live, pray, and dedicate their lives to God, cut off from ordinary society.

noun · Chapter 2

blind

Unable to see the truth about something — here, unaware of the real, dangerous nature of Trujillo because of propaganda and social pressure.

adjective · Chapter 3

regime

A government that rules by force and control rather than free choice, especially one that punishes or kills people who oppose it.

noun · Chapter 3

fiesta

A party or celebration — in this novel, specifically the lavish, obligatory social events hosted by Trujillo that powerful families were expected to attend as a show of loyalty.

noun · Chapter 7

confidante

A trusted person — or, as used here, a trusted object like a diary — to whom you tell your most private thoughts and secrets.

noun · Chapter 4

evidence

Written or physical material that can be used against someone in a legal or political investigation to prove they did something.

noun · Chapter 8

natural

Someone who has an inborn talent for something and takes to it easily without needing much instruction.

noun · Chapter 8

revolutionary cell

A small, secret group of people working together to overthrow a government, organized so that members know as little as possible about other groups to protect everyone if someone is caught.

phrase · Chapter 13

underground

Operating in secret and outside the law, used to describe a resistance movement that hides its activities from a repressive government.

adjective · Chapter 10

leash

A strap used to restrain an animal — here used in a comparison to describe a freedom that is still tightly limited and controlled.

noun · Chapter 10

locutorio

A visiting room in a prison or convent where inmates are allowed to speak with family members or others, usually under supervision.

noun · Chapter 11

martyred

Killed because of one's beliefs or political resistance, and afterward honored and remembered as a hero or saint by those who share those beliefs.

adjective · Chapter 1

dictatorship

A system of government in which one person holds absolute power and uses force, fear, and secret police to silence anyone who disagrees.

noun

retreat

A period of withdrawal from everyday life, usually to a quiet place, for prayer, reflection, and spiritual renewal — here organized by a church group.

noun · Chapter 9

ambush

A surprise attack by people who have been hiding and waiting, carried out against someone who does not know the danger is coming.

noun

shrine

A place treated as sacred because of its connection to someone who has died or is deeply honored, often visited by people who want to pay their respects.

noun · Chapter 14

incarceration

The state of being locked up in a prison, held against your will by authorities as punishment or to silence political opposition.

noun · Chapter 11

coward

A person who lacks the courage to do what is right or necessary, especially when facing danger or a difficult moral choice.

noun · Chapter 5

surrogate

Acting as a substitute or replacement for someone else — here describing Dedé raising her sisters' children as if she were their own mother.

adjective · Chapter 14

assassination

The deliberate killing of a political leader or important public figure, usually for political reasons.

noun

peril

Serious and immediate danger, especially the kind that threatens your life or freedom.

noun · Chapter 10

resistance

Organized, often secret opposition to a ruling power, especially a violent or oppressive government, carried out by ordinary people willing to risk their lives.

noun · Chapter 10