User:Chainsawxmassacre/draft of In the Time of the Butterflies

Plot summary
The story begins in the Mirabals' family store, where the family is discussing whether the girls will enroll in school. The family has new found wealth and the girls' parents feel that they need a good education to go with it. The scene is set, with a picture of the "wonderful ruler" Trujillo right next to the picture of Jesus. Minerva is being watched by the authorities that have been stationed in each town. The girls are eventually sent away to Inmaculada Catholic School for Girls for schooling. At this point in the novel, the story follows Minerva's view of life as she discovers the horror that is Trujillo, young Maria Teresa's view as she watches Minerva rebel, and then saintly Patria's view, as she struggles to find her calling from God and overcome her unbearable loneliness. The reader discoveres that Dede is being interviewed in the present day, and everything in the novel is a flashback in the form of diary entries and old memories. As the interviewer asks questions, Dede goes further into thought, bringing the reader with her into the living nightmare that is her past.

Dede describes to the interviewer  her later teenage years. She talkes about how she and her husband, Jaimito, get engaged. During Jaimito's proposal Lio appears and gives Dede a letter for Minerva. Dede reads the letter before Minerva and burns it, thinking it would be too dangerous for her to read as it was Lio's invitation to a dangerous protest.

The story then picks up from Minerva's point of view. Lio has now left her and she feels lonely. She begins to go exploring the countryside in her father's Jeep. She discovers a shabby looking home with four girls in front of it. These girls are her half sisters. Minerva crashes her father's Jeep in a rage and confronts him about keeping secrets from her.

Papa receives an invitation to a party hosted by Trujillo with the request of Minerva's attendance. At the party she dances with Trujillo. During their dance he asks her several question about her, trying to get an answer about anyone that may be plotting against him. Minerva begins to get harassed by Trujillo and in mid-dance slaps him. Almost immediately, as if a godsend, a storm breaks, out causing panic and distraction. Minerva takes this as a sign, and signals for the Mirabals to make their exit quickly under cover of the commotion. Trujillo keeps the party going through the rain, and is quite displeased when the Mirabals disappear. He is so displeased, in fact, that he has Papa imprisoned, for it is against the law to leave a party before Trujillo. Minerva and Mama go to Trujillo to ask for Papa's freedom. Papa is granted freedom, while in an awkward meeting with Trujillo. During this meeting, Minerva is given the chance to roll a dice for her chance to go to law school. She notices that one of the dice are loaded, chooses that one, and rolls a 6. Trujillo, catching on, also chooses the loaded die and ties Minerva. They call it even.

By the last two chapters all the men are in prison, Trujillo's reign is collapsing, and life is coming into a sort of normalcy. Patria, Maria Teresa, and Minerva, along with their driver Rufino, are making weekly trips over the mountains to visit their husbands in La Victoria, then in the capital, when the prisoners are moved. Dede and Mama stay at home and watch the children. Dede, at this point, is full of dread everytime the "butterflies" go out on the road. She fears there will be an "accident", courtesy of the government. On one specific trip over the mountain, a storm is brewing. The girls stop in a small town to buy things for their dress shop; orders have been coming quickly. They buy a couple new purses as well. Inside Minerva's purse, the sales clerk has put his information card. On the back of it he has written "avoid the pass". Minerva doesn't tell the rest of her party. She doesn't want to freighten them. As the day wears on, and they reach the prison, Minerva's dread dissolves. The men think they're going to be killed. They tell the girls that men have been taken from the cell at night and slaughtered by the guards. The girls reassure them that they just have to be strong. They are confident. The men plead with the girls to stay in the city for the night, for it is getting late, and the "accidents" usually occur at night. The storm is still coming. Minerva, perhaps over confidently, tells them that they'll be fine. She wants to get home tonight so as to not worry Dede and Mama. They depart the city and begin the journey home. Once they get to the pass they are ambushed. The girls and Rufino are killed that night.

Characters
Mama-Mother of all Mirabal sisters, she plays an important role throughout most of the stories of the four sisters. Papa-Father to all the Mirabal girls, and married to Mama. He heads the family store. Later in the story we find out, in his desperation for a son, he had an affair in which 4 other girls were produced. He is an alcoholic, but has a kind heart. Pedrito Gonzalez-A farmer. He married Patria Mirabal when she was 16,on February 24th 1947. He eventually joins the revolution along with his wife and son, Nelson. He is later imprisoned, along with his brothers in law Leandro and Manolo, for being part of the revolution. He and Patria have three children: Nelson, Noris, and Raulito. Fela- A worker for the Mirabal family. She claims to be a fortune teller. After the girls die, she goes a bt crazy and claims to be possed by them. Minou goes to Fela for a time to "talk" to her mother after her death. Minou-One of Minerva's children, Minou was born around 1956. She is very much like her mother in the fact that she is strong willed and independent. Don Manuel- Trujillos right hand man. Manuel is very "tall and dapper" (page 110). He is a corrupt politician like, many of Trujillo's cronies. Manuel does many of Trujillos' odd jobs, such as delivering messages and threats for him. Trujillo- Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, also known as "El Jefe" (the Chief), is the self appointed Dictator of the Dominican republic. Trujillo is a harsh ruler of the people and demands the complete obedience of everyone. He commits many cruel and unjust acts against his people, such as unrightful imprisonment without trial, taking over people land and possessions, and even torture. Even though he is married, he has many affairs with young girls who he keeps in high and fancy houses all around the country. He is also an identified rapist. As his regime falls apart, he becomes even more vicious and cruel, and eventually has the Mirabals girls( all except for Dede) killed, when they become to much of an opposition to his decaying power. Virgilio- Virgilio, code name "Lio". He is a revolutionary, but unlike most, he is not underground. He speaks out publically against the government, which is considered suicide. Lio was forced into hiding because of his actions against the government. He was very close with Minerva before he fled the country. Jaimito - Jaimito is Dede's husband and cousin. Jaimito owns a farm he and Dede live on after they are married. He is opposed to his wifes' families' involvement in the revolution, and forbids her to join. When he and Dede were first married he was kind, but over the years he and Dede drift apart. He cares deeply for his boys. Dede - Dede is the 3rd Mirabal sister. She is not as certain about the revolution as her sisters, and feels weaker because of that fact. She has mixed feeling about joining the revolution all along, so she doesn't. She uses her husband, Jaimito, as the reason she doesn't join. He doesn't want her involved in the revolution, and in a way it tears their marriage apart. She is forever worrying about her sisters, telling them they'll be killed, and its too dangerous to go outside. Eventually her predictions come true. She has 3 boys. Maria Teresa - The youngest of the 4 Mirabal sisters, she is very materialistic. She is married to Leandro and has one daughter, Jacqueline. She joined the revolution while living with her sister Minerva because she had met this "mysterious" man(Leandro), and wanted to feel worthy of him. We watch this little girl mature into a strong revolutionary woman as the story progresses. Minerva - The 2nd oldest Mirabal sister, and certainly the most head strong. She is quite intent on law school as a young girl, and succeeds in completing it as an adult, although her license to practice is withheld by the government (Trujillo) as some odd sort of revenge. She has a brief romance with the revolutionary leader "Lio" before she meets Manolo in law school (also a revolutionary), and marries him. She has one daughter, Minou, and one son, Manolito. Patria The oldest of the Mirabal sisters. She is very religious. While looking for her calling from God, she instead finds her husband, Pedrito. She marries at the ripe old age of 16. Her faith wavers intensely as a young woman. She takes the fetal death of her 3rd child as a punishment from God, which drives her further into a religious depression. She later regains her faith on a Pilgrimage her, her mother, and her sisters take to Higuey. She has three children: Nelson, Norris, and Raul Ernesto (Che). She is also a revolutionary, starting a Christian revolutionary group and merging it with her sister Minervas' revolutionary group. Sinita- Minervas' good friend,whom she met at Inmaculada Catholic School for Girls. She later goes to the capital and becomes a revolutionary, just like Minerva. Her family was heavily effected by Trujillo. He killed all the men in Sinita's' family because he found out that they were rebelling against him. Sinitas' last brother was killed when she was a young girl, anchoring her deep seeded hatred of the government(Trujillo) early in her life.

Rufino de la Cruz- Rufino was the Mirabals driver of choice whenever they rented a car to go over the mountains to visit their husbands in prison. He was very loyal to the "butterfles", and tehy trusted him wholeheartedly. He was murdered along with the Mirabal girls. He has a wife and one child.

Reception
The Port Washington School District decided to ban this book, not because of its ideas, but because it has a detailed diagram depicting how to construct a bomb. " We believe that the purpose of education is to expose students to all areas of reality so that we can make our own judgments. Isn't that why we are able to read Romeo and Juliet without committing suicide, or The Lord of the Flies without being violent? We should not ban a powerful piece of literature just because of a diagram," states an article written by Charlotte McCorkel and Myung-Hee Vabulas, who attended Shreiber, the high school where the book was banned. The article was published in the New York Times.

The idea of "In the Time of the Butterflies" originated in the 1960's when author Julia Alvarez was in the Dominican Republic. The Mirabal sisters were murdered just 3 months before her father got involved with the underground against Trujillo.

The book sparked controversy in the Domincan Republic for depicting the Mirabal sisters. The Mirabal sisters are viewed as heroes in the Domincan Republic and Jullia Alvarez recived much critizism from the Domincan Republic for writing about their acts agianst the goverment.