In the Time of the Butterflies Flashcards
Pg. 3: “She’s long since resigned herself to Novembers.”
Speaker: narrator
On November 25th, 1960, Dede’s three sisters, Minerva, Patria and Maria Theresa (Mate) were killed by the Dominican Government and now, on the anniversary of their deaths, reporters always come to interview Dede about her famous sisters.
Pg. 5: “Why, they inevitably ask in one form or another, why are you the one who survived?”
Speaker: narrator/Dede’s thoughts
Dede didn’t get involved in the revolution against Trujillo, which is the reason why she survived it. She didn’t involved in it because she felt that joining would be the cause of her death and her husband Jaimito wasn’t involved as well. She struggled with not getting involved.
Pg. 10: “It’s about time we women had a voice running our country.”
Speaker: Minerva
From a young age, Minerva questioned society and the Domican’s norms.
Pg. 13: “And that’s how I got free…I mean in my head after I got to Inmaculada and met Sinita”
Speaker: Minerva
Minerva now realizes that she is free from the lies about Trujillo and is learning from the truth. The veil of lies is removed to free her eyes.
Pg. 17: “We can all be killed, it’s the secret of Trujilo”
Speaker: Sinita
Sinita is one of Minerva’s classmates and she shares that some of her family members have been killed by Trujilo’s regime.
Pg. 34: “I swear my older sister will be the death of me”
Speaker: Maria Theresa “Mate”
Loses her innocence about Trujilo because of Minerva.
Pg. 39: “It’s so strange now that I know something that I’m not supposed to know. Everything I know just looks a little different…”
Speaker: Maria Theresa/Mate
Maria realizes that her whole world is not what she thought it was, she doesn’t live in a safe haven that she thought she did. She buries her diary because it could potentially be viewed as rebellious or dangerous material because she is now questioning Trujilo.
Pg. 51: “I couldn’t understand why Minerva was getting so worked up…every week his picture was in the papers overseeing some good deed.”
Speaker: Patria
Patria is expressing her view of Trujilo and was confused/questioning why Minerva was against. She’s losing her innocence towards Trujilo.
Pg. 53: “How could our loving, all powerful father allow us to suffer so? I looked up, challenging him. And the two faces merged”
Speaker: Patria
She loses her faith in God and Trujilo at the same time. She doesn’t understand how God could allow such an awful, corrupt person run her country. From the miscarriage of her baby, Patria feels that it was a punishment from the church because she didn’t follow her church calling.
Pg. 55: Pg. 55: “Everyone knew my public sorrow, the lost baby, but none my private one, my loss of faith.” She did not want to reveal her loss of faith to others because that’s what she’s always been known for.
Speaker: Patria?
She did not want to reveal her loss of faith to others because that’s what she’s always been known for.
Pg. 58: “I’d been facing the wrong way all my life. My faith stirred.”
Speaker: Patria
She finds her faith again in the people and wants to help the suffering people, not the greedy Trujilo. This motivates her to join the revolution against Trujilo.
Pg. 65: “I’m tired of being a daughter of a legend”
Speaker: Minou(Minerva’s daughter, Dede’s niece)
Minou is expressing her frustration over that her mother is no longer alive and died when she was young. She wished she had more time to spend with her mom.
Pg. 67 “If she marries Jaimito, she’ll continue in the life she has always been very happy living.”
Speaker: Narrator/Dede
Dede is the most predictable daughter compared to Minerva. She does what’s expected, follows the rules and isn’t rebellious. This causes inner conflict within her on whether she should join the revolution or not.
Pg. 75: “Enemy of the state? Why then, Minerva was an enemy of the state. And if she, Dede, thought long and hard whether she was right or wrong, she would no doubt be an enemy of the state as well.
Speaker: Dede thoughts
Is this Dede’s loss of innocence in regards to Trujilio? I would argue, yes, and yet, being against Trujillo doesn’t mean that you become a communist revolutionary.
“Swear you’ll keep distance from them!”
Speaker: Jaimito
Dede was pressured out of the revolution from her husband, Jaimito. Jaimito complains to Dede saying that her sisters like to “run their men” or control of them. This shows how the patriarchal society is not just ingrained in the leaders but also in Jaimito. It’s a domino affect from the top down.
