by Julia Alvarez
REVISED CALENDAR
Presentation
Lauren, Text and Context, March 13
Jill, Theory, March 18
Reading
Thursday, March 13: Chapters 1-9
Tuesday, March 18: Chapter 10-Postscript
Commenting
1st comment on/by March 12
2nd comment on/by March 20
Sunday, January 27, 2008
In the Time of the Butterflies
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19 comments:
So, it's spring break and I have the flu, so I'll be the first to comment...This book is really interesting in a lot of ways. I like the characterization of the sisters and the husbands. I also like the way that it is written, even though this can be confusing at times. Sometimes I'll have to look at the beginning of a chapter to remember who the narrator is. I like the fact that Maria Teresa's segments are in the form of a diary. I feel like we get a more inhibited story line that way. The way she meets her husband is probably my favorite story. I'm a sucker for a romantic story! Minerva gets on my nerves a bit. She's just a bit too pushy with her political beliefs. Also, when she and Dede fight about their father, she seems more willing to blame him when he went above and beyond to bail her out when he was in prison. That really bothered me. However, the active role that she plays in his other family's life was redeeming.
Patria I found to be admirable. She sticks by her religious faith throughout. She only joins the revolution when she witnesses the ramifications of it on a religious retreat, not through the persuasion of her sisters. I usually find some fault in zealous figures in books, but thus far, I simply cannot find one in Patria (at least not for her faith). It makes her a good wife, mother, sister, and part of the revolution.
Oh, Dede, what can we say about the surviving sister? She feels torn as I believe many people would be, but maybe not for the same reason. At the end of chapter 9; however, I think she and her husband are seeing that their place in the revolution is inevitably going to be helping keep this family together at all costs. No matter how hard they have tried to avoid becoming involved, they are deeply involved. As Dede has plainly said even if she doesn't die in the revolution, her sisters may die, which is one in the same. I don't blame her for not going to the meetings and not wanting to be involved in that way, but she should not have been afraid to stick up for herself in other aspects of her life sooner.
So, I hope everyone else is enjoying this as much as I am...can't wait to start a list on the board so we can dissect these characters, as they can get confusing as to who is whose kid?!
Lori Beth
I loved this book. I love how the sisters come together for a common cause, even though Dede was a little late but she still cared so much for her sisters. Minerva was probably my favorite character. She is a such a strong leader, which has its downfalls when she doesn't feel she can live up to other people's expectations. I did like how faithful and nurturing Patria was. She seemed very balanced and reliable. I also really liked Maria Theresa's romance, very sweet. I loved the way the book was written, looking at the world from all 4 sisters' points of view. It gave different perspectives of what was going on in their country. It was horrifying, but very interesting, getting that look into what was happening there.
-Allison Morris
I am also really enjoying reading this novel. I love that the novel is based of the real story of the Mirabal sisters and what they did for their country. The novel not only exposes the hardships of living under dictatorship but honors the real Minerva, Maria Teresa and Patria by keeping their story alive(even if the details of this one are fictionalized). I also agree with Allison about Minerva being my favorite character.
Kind of random but..while I was reading I couldn't help but think of another author Isabel Allende, who also portrays strong latin female characters.
-Rachel Layer
I enjoyed this book as well. These women are admirable for having the courage to stand up to Trujillo and his men. It is even more admirable that they are sisters and able to share these terrifying experiences with people close to them. This sisterhood also helps them to be able to help each other out even when they don't agree on the issues. This is seen specifically with Dede, as she does not want to be involved in the revolution but she will help her sisters when they are in trouble. These women are not merely thinking of themselves and their lives, but they are sacrificing for the country, to make everyone's life better, to make the future better for their children. Dede and Jamito's relationship is curious. She is superior intelligently, but the specified and enforced gender roles of their society will not allow her to "wear the pants" in the family so she must let Jamito constantly fail at various business adventures even though her intelligence could keep them from failing. I agree that Minerva is the strongest, and Patria the most maternal. I like the fact that Maria Teresa's chapters are written from the perpective of her diary, it gives a more intimate feel.
--cindy
I like this novel for what it is both on the surface, a novel about seemingly ordinary women who, in their resistance to the dictatorship of Trujillo, serve as brave examples for everyone who fights injustice; and beneath the surface, a storyline that illuminates the deeper implications of past, present and future.
I also like that the book calls attention to the necessity of documenting (although the novel is not a true document of historical fact, but more of the human element and spirit of the event) women’s historical claim. I think the crux of this theme comes when Dede states that : "I’m not stuck in the past, I’ve just brought it with me into the present. And the problem is not enough of us have done that. What is that thing the gringos say, if you don’t study your history, you are going to repeat it?"
At first I was wary of the novel when the American woman shows up and wants to interview Dede. Even though I knew the plotline of the novel (from history), I was afraid that this fictionalized account of actual events would suffer from what so many other fictionalized accounts have suffered from - the white savior syndrome. I was glad to find out the white woman wasn’t going to just swoop in and save the day and enlighten the people of the Dominican Republic and teach them how to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and be the only one who could possible do justice to Dede’s story. Anyways, it didn’t turn into that but usually when a white person arrives on the scene that’s what happens…ex. Murder in Mississippi or Freedom Writers if you’ve seen either of those…
That’s all I got right now. Excuse any and all grammatical errors. I am incapable of being grammatical in cyberspace.
phaedra
I, too, like the way this author uses different narrators and techniques to tell this story, although it can be difficult to switch back and forth. I haven't yet formed any strong opinions about any of the sisters; I've only read the first half. One interesting aspect of the novel for me is the role that religion plays in the girls'/women's lives, and how the accepted customs of their belief system have helped keep women passive and obedient to men. Their sexuality is also tied up with this, as well as with the political "complications". It makes it all the more remarkable to see these women behave assertively and break the rules - they had a fight on every side. Their rebellion is against not only the dictator and the regime, but also the Church's and their society's oppression. Trujillo attempts to blend himself with the Divine while, at the same time, living as a sexual predator. It’s a nightmarish thought – the fear that you’ll be raped by your god.
Well I finished the book last week over spring break and finished my presentation for tomorrow and almost forgot all about posting on the blog. Since I have read the whole novel I’ll try to limit my comments to the first half of the novel since some may not have read more. Anyways, I absolutely loved this novel. It is such a profound story and is told in such an interesting way. By seeing it through the sister’s eyes I really felt like I was a close friend of the family watching it all happen.
The sisters were fascinating to get to know. Patria, the oldest sister, was actually my favorite. Since I was raised in a very conservative Christian family and was a devout Christian until I got to college and started questioning things, I felt like I could really relate to what she was going through. I loved the part on page 53 when she looks up at the paintings of Jesus and El Jefe and said the two faces merged. I thought it was a really clever way of explaining her feelings at the time.
The next sister, Minerva, surprised me with her strength and bravery. Many of the things she does and says in public in the first half of the novel completely shocked me. I’m not a very outspoken person myself so I kind of admired that about her.
Dede was very interesting as well. At first she was somewhat shy and reserved and as she even said I think she “always watched instead of played.” It seemed though that as time went on and Dede finally joining in with the sisters against Trujillo that she started to gain some self confidence little by little. I also feel sorry for her because even though she is the sister that survived, she doesn’t ever get to live a “normal life.”
Last we have Maria, the youngest. I love how she writes her story in the form of diaries, it is interesting to see how she matures by reading the things she writes about and how she writes about them. I can't imagine dealing with some of the things she was dealing with when she was my age!
I enjoyed researching Julia Alvarez as a person and comparing the many fictional events of the novel to her real life. It is hard to imagine living in the world that she was raised in and everything that she went through. I am very interested to hear everyone else’s opinions on the book in class tomorrow.
Maybe it's because I think my father is probably the most wonderful man living, but I always seem to see him in the father figures we run across in these novels. For example, the part where he decides one girl must stay behind and help run the business because he has to leave his mark on everything to prove he "wears the pants" in the relationship fits my father exactly. My dad always likes to think he has the last say in decision-making that goes on in our house, but in the end, just like the father in the story, he usually caves in and lets my mother and me do things the way we wanted from the beginning.
Also, I've been making a list of all the characters, so I should be ahead of the game when we start listing them on the board tomorrow. This is probably a good thing, because I can still barely talk. This piece of advice is free, because I like you all... NEVER HAVE YOUR TONSILS TAKEN OUT. Also, sorry this is a bit late; the internet connection in my apartment complex is sketchy, at best.
I enjoyed the class discussion today, but the book has not been one of my favorites. I have always loved historical fiction, but I don't enjoy fictionalized history. Does that make sense?
I agree that the story of these courageous women should be told, but I wish this had been a non-fiction book without so much of the author's analysis of their personalities. I'm sure she did tons of research, but I could never tell where her research ended and her imagination took flight.
My mother would have been the age of the older sisters, and I know she would have HATED someone assuming they knew how she felt about intimate matters of faith and sexuality.
Lauren, do you know if Dede gave her blessing to this novel?
I am geography-challenged, so I had to do some research on the Domincan Republic so that I understood the setting. I had always heard of the countries Haiti and D.R., but I didn't know that they shared the same island, and that together they were called Hispaniola. I think reading about dictators such as Trujillo helps us understand the ongoing political turmoil in the South America.
Jeana
This book has definitely helped me understand what the Dominican Republic went through at that time when I hadn't been aware of it hardly at all. I liked how the author went into depth about the characters' faith and sexuality, even though it does fictionalize the story. It makes it seem so much more personal and makes it a lot more interesting to read. I've never been much of a fan of studying history but when it's presented this way, especially as a diary entry, I really enjoy learning from it.
By reading the comments above, two things came to mind...I thought about Maria Teresa's comment about her diary and how it might be important for someone to read someday (this was while they were in prison I believe). This made me think of Anne Frank. It also made me think about how much we know about what went on in earlier centuries based on the importance of the letter as communication. Which brings up the all important question of what will future generations think of us when all they have to go on is u-tube and myspace and such? It's just something I think about when I read historical non-fiction.
Then, someone mentioned the father in the story. I have a really hard time knowing how to feel about his character. Part of me felt he was brave by sticking up for Minerva as far as the celebration goes. But then there is the part where I feel he was living this double life. Maybe this hits hard for me because my own father had an affair, but I just could not respect him for doing this. I did; however, respect the fact that when he was dying, he wanted to make sure that they were well cared for. Also, that Minerva wanted them to be educated speaks volumes of her. I also thought it was interesting how the oldest (I believe it was) came back to help them later in the story. This proves that karma can come full circle, even in a novel!
*Lori*
Agree with Allison's comments that In The Time of Butterflies helped me understand more about the Dominican Republic's struggle with dictatorship and that the style of book made the historical references more interesting. I was also wondering, like Jeana, if Dede gave her blessing with this book. It would definetly be interesting to know what Dede's opinion of the book and movie of In The Time of Butterflies. I wonder how accurately the book portrays each of the sisters.
-Rachel
I knew next to nothing about the D. R. before, so it was pretty much all new to me. I like that the author focused much more on the characters than on the political events, which can get boring really quickly. I usually have a favorite character in whichever book I'm reading, but I'm not so sure about this one. I relate most strongly to Patria and Mate. I didn't feel like I really got to know Dedé very well, and I thought that Minerva came off as rather arrogant and like she craved notoriety as much as freedom for her people.
NPR Interview with Julia Alvarez on In the Time of the Butterflies:
http://www.democracynow.org/1997/9/9/stream
Personally, I wish we had more time to devote to this novel. It's story is intriguing and important. I feel somewhat more ashamed and even more horrified about the historical events now that I am aware that the U.S. helped put Trujillo into power, although I am not surprised and I should have guessed it. It makes me realize that I need to study more about our own history and our country's relationships with other countries and cultures. In my high school, you never got past the civil war in history classes and all discussion was tainted with American pride and prejudice, so I try to forget what I learned anyway. But it is important to know about not only your own country, but other countries as well. And this novel really helped open my eyes to this. I think that even though it is fictionalized, the novel is important and could be used in other disciplines. If not for anything else but to spark curiosity of the unknown and other cultures. I definitely have learned more about the Dominican since reading this. As well, I think it is important that the revolutionaries are women. In our own history, many times the women are forgotten or hidden behind the men.
In any case, this novel is one of my favorites so far. And finally, I agree with whoever said in class (Caitlin?) that they had all but forgotten the white American reporter until she reappeared. I didn't place such an emphasis on the American woman, I was focusing more on the struggles and triumphs of the Mariposas.
Did anyone see the game show Cash Cab last night? One of the questions was "What country with Haiti makes up the island of Hispaniola?
I finished the book last night and listened to Julia Alvarez's interview this morning. Her comments on what makes courage--the complexity of motivation and reasons for commitment was very interesting. Her remarks about the courage of Benizar Bhutto were particularly relevant after her assassination this year.
I think women in the Middle East have to have courage MAGNIFIED to confront corrupt political leaders who are also religious leaders. Theocracies are very scary governments.
Jill, I have a friend who recently completed her doctorate in nursing. Her dissertation was on self-immolation in the Moslem "stan" countries. She visited there several times to interview, to treat survivors, and to help educate. The women took this step because of their own feelings of loss of honor or because of pressure from family. Your picture looked very familiar, although from burns, not acid.
I ended up disliking Minerva. Her strident beliefs changed forever the lives of her family and extended family. She showed her own ruthlessness in the belief of the life of the prison guard being negligible. Would her government have also become a dictatorship--Castro's certainly did. Underground movements to protect and to help the oppressed are one thing--but bombs!!
I would have to walk in her mocassins to truly understand. I think Dede is the true heroine of the story. Steadfastness and endurance are very courageous qualities.
Jeana
Well as most of you all know I absolutely loved this novel! I learned so many things that I didn’t know before. By the end of the novel I really felt ashamed that I hadn’t heard anything about the Dominican Republic, Trujillo, or the sisters. We hear so much about Hitler and all of the horrible things he did, but never much about all of the other horrible dictators there have been. Reading novels like this and realizing how naïve and stupid we can be as a country really bothers me, after all we were the ones who put Trujillo in power to begin with. The more I learn about our history the more I realize why other countries don’t like us that much.
I was also happy to know I wasn’t the only one that cried at the end of this novel. I know I was on my bed balling my eyes out for most of the last several pages! Well, now I have new book to add to my list of favorites!! I also really want to read “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents” and some of Alvarez’s other novels.
I found in my notebook where I had written a reaction to the novel when I initially finished it during Spring Break, but of course did not want to post it because no one had finished it yet.
It does prove to be ironic that the one argument that Minerva needs to lose, she doesn't. Despite warnings from Dede, Manolo, the sales clerk, and her other sisters, she still insists they drive on. I thought the whole novel it was going to be a car accident that killed them, and then she throws in that little twist. I wondered if everyone at that time figured out that it was a murder or thought it was an accident. I thought about the significance of their nickname: butterflies. How they were trapped for so long, but when they were given a taste of freedom, to spread their wings, they were killed. This seemed reminiscent to the short life cycle of the butterfly. I think I see the death of the sisters more from Dede's point-of-view than Lio's. I do not see how their death contributed any good to the revolution. Maybe I don't understand politics and I'm looking at it through my western eyes. I just kept feeling like they were on the wrong side and associating with the wrong people throughout the revolution. It is nice to see them get recognized as martyrs for a cause, though.
I really enjoyed this book for a lot of the same reasons everyone else has already mentioned. It was interesting to learn something about the Dominican Republic. I had no idea who Trujillo was. I honestly didn’t really know anything about any Latin American government/dictator other than Castro. So it was a nice little history lesson.
I enjoyed how each sister told her own story. It was different and added a little something, I believe. It wasn’t just a boring narrative. I especially liked Maria Teresa and her diary entries. And yes, it reminded me of Anne Frank as well (do you think Alvarez did this on purpose? I think maybe she did.).
I agree with Jeana about “fictionalized history.” I don’t really like it either! Maybe because I am a history major and I just think you should stick to the facts. It makes me wonder how the survivors of the Maribal sisters accepted this book. I think if it were about someone I loved, I would want someone to only write facts. I think I would be a little offended if an author fictionalized my loved one and made up faults and everything for them. I’m probably wrong though. Maybe the family loved it.
Overall, I did enjoy this book.
-Elizabeth Bowman Phelps
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