Essay Death and the Maiden: The Effects of Chilian Dictatorship

In the book Alvarez informs us that this takes place during Trujillo 's reign over the Dominican Republic in the 1930’s to the 1960’s. Throughout history dictators have risen and fallen all across the world. Many have been seen as evil, and sometimes good to others, but no matter what a persons view tend to be there are some who even consider them god. Due to a dictators extensive powers and complete control over every aspect of a persons life this is what comes to be. Trujillo is just the same, at first his true motives were questioned and it wasn’t apparent to all what he really was. As the Mirabel sisters grow up it becomes clear that Trujillo is in control of more of their lives than it may seemed. Trujillo leads a complete authoritarian rule over the Dominican Republic with spies everywhere, this can suggest that he trying to assume the role of a terrible god, who is always watching and ready to punish. While all

However, this cannot be said for all victims of guilt as the author makes sure to heed the consequences of

The Dominican Republic’s dictator Rafael Trujillo had thousands of people killed because of their disobedience to him. From the 1930s to 1960s the country was under the control of Trujillo. He had taken control of the Dominican Republic and used his power against people who decided not to follow him and his laws. The four Mirabal sisters, Minerva, Patria, Mate, and Dede were all risking their lives because of their involvement in the underground, against their harsh dictator. In the book In the time of the Butterflies, the four Mirabal sisters perspectives are impacted by the underground movement against Trujillo because of each of their involvement with the revolution.

Boyer's article shows how a woman even a woman, even of Indian ethnicity, can take a claim to court, how the family comes in to play a role in the case and how the "deflowering" of Catarina could be rectified with a marriage between her and Juan. The courts dealt with many cases relatively the same as this one. It is shown in this case that the courts were very accessible to the population. Even Catarina, of Indian ethnicity, is able to put forth a claim, on her own, to the judicial system. In this case it can be seen also that the family feels the effects the event of Catarina losing her virginity as her brothers become involved to try and ratify the situation and mend their diminished honour. The brother s petitions to have it taken before the General Indian Court and have Juan marry her as it is said he would. The fact that he didn't marry her is what brings

This utterance by Paulina to the “voice” establishes that her will of avenging the perpetrators is not farfetched from reality, after one of the alleged perpetrators; Doctor Roberto arrives at her own house. Despite this, Gerardo has already engaged in process of healing as a country.

In the Time of the Butterflies during the 1940s, in the Dominican Republic, the ruler or dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo punished people if they didn’t do as he told them and plenty of other cruel things. He ruled for about 30 years, so the people were tortured for quite a long time. He became the dictator by eliminating everyone who had power above him. He even married his wives just to use them to get the the top and control everyone. It was just an unfair way to handle things and an unfair country overall. In her book, “In the Time of the Butterflies,” Julia Alvarez incorporates the history of the famous Mirabal sisters by telling the history of their life and how it was back then for their Dominican Republic country. Julia Alvarez

It also deals with the questions of morality and psychology of a person who assumes the position of the judge while offering to judge the innocence or guilt of the accused and how the final holding is affected by the subjective conscience of the

Julia Alvarez’s novel In the Time of the Butterflies shows the lack of fairness in society and the importance of maintaining a strong family bond. Trujillo was not fair between men and women and granting men the rights to do whatever they want. The Mirabal sisters’ revolutionary against president Trujillo and fighting for freedom of the country and its people. In Saudi Arabia women are now granted to drive, but there some other things that men can do but women cannot. The Mirabal family has a strong maintain of a family bond. Minerva is one of the four sisters who is brave and had the courage to stand for others and started the revolution against the president.

In the book, In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, the four Mirabal sisters were forced to live under the political oppression of the Dominican dictator Trujillo. Despite, the thematic changes that occurred in the book, there are other information about Dominican Republic that one can further understand. The recurring topics in the book were political oppression and traditional religious practice/ beliefs. There is evidence that shows the life of people who are living under the fear of the dictator and how the religious beliefs and traditional views on women scoped the society during that time period.

Patria is exposed to the truth that Trujillo was not the god-like entity she perceived him to be. In Patria’s mind there is no separation between god and Trujillo; they are one. Patria is finally coming face to face with the problems within the Dominican Republic. This revelation foreshadows how Patria will become involved with the regime and what part she might play.

Likewise, another factor that assists in Trujillo’s persistent control of the Dominican Republic is his abuse of power. Rules are restrictions and too many rules lead to the entrapment of citizens. Julia Alvarez specifically utilizes the word “weakness” to portray the character trait that the majority of the citizens possess. In the word “weakness,” one thinks about not-strong and lack of courage. In essence, no one has the courage to stand up to Trujillo. For example, we see the common trait through the quote, “People who opened their big mouths didn’t live very long.”

The murder of the Maribal sisters has given the world an inside view on the lives of the sisters. Trujillo‘s evil dictatorship impacted the lives of the dominican people and left a scar on their hearts forever. Since the assassination of Trujillo, the sisters have been recognized through their poems, letters, and books. Larry Rohter, author, explained in a 1997 New York Times article that “the sisters were known in their days as members of the anti-Trujillo underground, into symbols of both popular and feminist resistance.” This explains the power and freedom the sisters were able to achieve for themselves and for the Dominican society. The sisters fought for freedom continuously and were able to defeat a dictator with their power of

Rafael Trujillo, a Dominican dictator, developed a harsh reputation as being one of the most violent and domineering leaders of South America in his thirty-one years of power. In The Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez provides insight into the effects of Trujillo’s infamy by sharing the stories of three Dominican sisters and their struggles to gain independence and speak their truth. The Dominican-American author dramatizes the lives of the Mirabal sisters, three historical women who were assassinated in 1961, for their involvement in the anti-Trujillo movement. Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria, a Cuban critic of Latin American literature, provides a bias insight with regards to the novel.

During the course one’s life, one will encounter situations in which one strongly feels a particular way despite a lack of evidence. Often, the strength of such convictions will lead one to act rashly, projecting one’s views onto others due to one’s emotional state. This rashness can lead to one making decisions that will harm both oneself and those around one. The rifts that are created as a result of such difficulties can lead to tension and differences between individuals for years to come. More often than not, one must find a way to be forgiven for what one has done, as only then can one obtain peace with others and oneself. In Ian McEwan’s Atonement, Briony Tallis’s struggle on her path to understanding and correcting an injustice demonstrates the manner in which one can be forgiven, showing that in order to achieve forgiveness one must take the path to righting one’s wrongdoings and admitting the truth of one’s situation.

She’s calculating, she had a plan to put Roberto on trial and she executed that plan. She instated protective measures to prevent his escape, she was strategic in finding enough proof to satisfy her that he was guilty. This newfound control Paulina has of herself and the people around her causes a shift in the way interactions are conducted. Trapped as a sort of prisoner, Roberto and Gerardo must obey Paulina or risk indirectly causing Roberto’s death. Another example of the inequality in Gerardo and Paulina’s relationship is when Gerardo accepts a position on the commission without discussing it with Paulina. He ironically believes decisions can be made without her input or consent, but contrasty, if she makes any decisions he must play a role in them, whether it be interrogating Roberto or lending the car jack out to her mother. The effect of Paulina’s new sense of self also results in Gerardo having difficulty communicating with Paulina because she’s in a position of power, for example when Paulina held a gun Gerardo states “while you point it at me, there is no possible dialogue,” (24). Gerardo likes to be in a position of power, where he can play the role of peacemaker, analyzing the situation, and coming up with solutions. However, Paulina enjoys this new found power and Gerardo struggles with losing his control over her, Gerardo’s statement “oh my baby, my baby. You’re--- unrecognizable. How can you possibly be