In the Time of the Butterflies

In the Time of the Butterflies is a feminist novel. The novel depicts each sister as an embodiment of an aspect of female strength. Each sister emerges from the experience of the Trujillo regime a strong, independent, and empowered woman. Compare and contrast the four Mirabal sisters, their responses to the regime, their philosophies about social and political activism, and how they balance their activism with traditional commitments to marriage, children, and home. Given the cultural environment represented by Mamá, in which women do not have a place in public matters, how does each sister represent a strategy for expressing a woman’s right to participate in public life?

Teaching Suggestion: You might suggest that students divide a paper into four quadrants, one for each sister, and use it to jot down details from the text that reveal each sister’s character. These notes can be used as preparation for a written response or a discussion.

• Dedé, who refuses to join the resistance movement, is the survivor, too afraid to take the risk of commitment taken by her now dead sisters.
• Patria, the most religious, forsakes her God and joins the movement due to her moral outrage after witnessing the mass execution of soldiers.
• Minerva is the firebrand, street smart and unwilling to put up with injustice, the consummate politicized feminist who sees parallels between Trujillo and her own misogynistic father.
• Mate confuses political activism with love—she is a creature of the heart, and her love for Leandro drives her to commit to the cause.

You might encourage students to connect their responses to the themes of Women and Courage vs. Cowardice.

Differentiation Suggestion: A student who would benefit from a more visual approach can create a digital illustration, creating a picture of each Mirabal sister and then listing her character traits (adjectives) revealed by her response to the regime.