In the Time of the Butterflies

by Julia Alvarez

I’d just left a small cage to go into a bigger one, the size of our whole country.

I asked Minerva why she was doing such a dangerous thing. And then, she said the strangest thing. She wanted me to grow up in a free country.

This is one of the first time we are see a generally revolutionary spirit/attitude amongst Minerva. We'll see this similar dynamic play throughout the entire book, where Dede prematurely questions and judges Minerva's motives. However, it only lasts for a limited time until Dede recognizes that it is a fight for everyone to be apart of. -- This attitudes plays a paramount role in the growth we get to see in Dede.

love is the deeper struggle.

“Amen to the revolution.”

This - as of right now- is my favorite quote from Patria, and perhaps solidifies her as one of the most impactful characters in this story. Granted, this is not a story, and details the lives of the Mariposas. However, this line cements the great attitude shift we see in Patria. She once used her religion to justify her not being apart of the movement to then using her religion as her reasoning to be a part of it. It is clear that a big part of the Mariposas was feminism and the autonomy of women, allowing them to freedom to decide what they want to do with their lives. I think Patria- a name so well fitting for her- is the embodiment of individualizing feminism for oneself. It is clear that Patria took the route most encouraged for young women. She became involved in church from very young and was heavily religiously indoctrinated, married young, had children young, and took on all of the child bearing and care taking roles (as expected of women). These are all of the traditional roles of women. These same attitudes was Patria's reasoning for previously not being apart of the movement, however it shifts and becomes her very reasoning for why eventually did join years later. We firs begin to see these attitudes shift after the birth of her still born. She acknowledges that while she grieves the death of her son and navigates the stress in her family, people have been suffering all along for other- worse- reasons. So she recognizes that it is not only her own anger and grief that she feels, but also the frustration of everyone across the country forced to pledge their loyalty to Trujillo. Patria, the embodiment of change and pioneering for feminism in any form it takes.