In the following essay, Darren Felty explores Alvarez's stated objectives in In the Time of the Butterflies and the ways in which her characters fulfill these objectives.
In her postscript to In the Time of the Butterflies Julia Alvarez discusses her intentions in the novel. She says that she wanted to bring the story of Patria, Minerva, María Teresa, and Dedé Mirabal to the English-speaking public. All of the Mirabal sisters except Dedé rebelled against the dictator of the Dominican Republic, Rafael Trujillo, and were murdered by Trujillo's men in 1960.
Alvarez seems to recognize that many people might take exception to her book, which fictionalizes the lives of the real Mirabal...
Source: Novels for Students, ©2013 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
(The entire page is 2089 words.)
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