In the Time of the Butterflies (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Julia Alvarez
- First Published: 1994
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: 1938 to 1994
- Setting: The Dominican Republic
- Principal Characters: Don Enrique Mirabal, Doña Mercedes Reyes Viuda Mirabal, Patria Mercedes Mirabal González, Pedrito González, Dedé Mirabal, Jaimito, Minerva Mirabal, Manolo, María Teresa “Mate” Mirabal Rodríguez, Leandro, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction
- Subjects: Family or family life, Caribbean, Power, personal or social, Politics, Murder or homicide, Middle classes, Revolutions, Courage, Social issues, Brothers and sisters, Oppression, Farms, farmers, or farming, Adultery, Sisters, Heroes or heroism, Dominican Republican or Dominicans
- Locales: Dominican Republic
Julia Alvarez’s butterflies are the four Mirabal sisters, whose code name in the revolutionary underground was Mariposa, Spanish for butterfly. These women, daughters of Don Enrique Mirabal, a landed merchant-farmer who became prosperous and socially prominent, and his wife, Doña Mercedes, referred to as “Mamá” throughout the novel, were born into a rising middle class.
In the early 1930’s, an ambitious military man, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, barely literate and from humble origins, rose to be Dominican Chief of Military Operations. He seized the reins of government...
[The entire page is 2318 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
Related Topics
