“Get down, son! Get down! His eyes found mine just as the shot hit him square in the back. I saw the wonder of his young face as the life drained out of him, and I thought, Oh my God, he’s one of mine! ” (Alvarez 162).
Four sisters step forward to fight the corruption and injustice of their nation. Against a cruel tyrant and the odds against them, they refuse to give up their beliefs or courage, as they lead their nation toward the war for liberation. The Mirabal sisters represent the anomalies of the society, struggling to fight for their God-given rights of freedom in the 1930-1960’s in the Dominican Republic.
In the Time of the Butterflies is not just a story of the Mirabal sister’s immense fight against the thirty-one year reign of Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo, but also portrays a story of love, insecurities, and strength that transforms the lives of the four sisters. Patria, one of the brave Mirabal sisters, goes through the most drastic life-changing battle. Patria struggles to overcome the tragedy of having a miscarriage and is overwhelmed with emptiness. Patria’s strong insecurities reveal themselves as she buries herself in sorrow and sadness struggling to come to terms with her loss.
Patria still continues on but hides to protect herself. Although she loses her identity, she hides it from her community: “…a model Catholic wife and mother. I fooled them all! Yes, for a long time after losing my faith, I went on, making believe” (Alvarez 55).
The Essay on One Problem Struggle Life
There is a saying that life is a struggle: a struggle for survival, a struggle for success, and a struggle for simple human happiness. If one considers this statement to be correct, every problem or obstacle one faces puts him / her in front of a choice of who to be and how to react to life's hardships. Having faced this choice one chooses either to be victorious or to be a helpless prey of life's ...
Still known in her community as a good Catholic wife and mother, Patria hides her loss of identity to others and projects toward society an image condoning her oppressive struggles, but inside she was “an empty house. ” She goes on living the life expected of her, as she resumes her duties and puts on a good face over her broken heart.
Patria represents the fears and insecurities we all portray when faced with challenges. She foreshadowed the rest of the people of the Dominican Republic, as they refused to acknowledge and confront the source of their pain and instead continued to pretend. However, Patria’s real insecurities and fears are challenged when the cruel Dominican Republic dictator Trujillo begins to maliciously prey on her family. Patria recognizes the love and escalating destruction surrounding her, she finally sees the truth of her identity and capabilities.
Her strength and courage allow her to overcome her fears and fight the corruption detrimentally flooding her country. In a tragic era of perishing social and human rights that are replaced with greed, narcissism and the vile pursuit of power, Trujillo symbolizes an impending storm. He pours down destruction and darkness on the nation and the Mirabal family. Patria her choices: to do nothing as she watches Trujillo mercilessly destroy lives of the people or fight to protect her family and country. In this life-changing period of her life, Patria realizes her own oblivion and discovers the importance of family.
She still has a family to take care of and they have become prey to Trujillo’s cruel hunting games. Rather than an empty house, Patria possess a house filled with love, family and strength. Patria realizes her obligations and responsibilities as a mother, wife, and sister, thus fighting to keep her family and her house safe. Her exemplary choices and actions define her beauty and lead her and her sisters to the war for liberation Patricia and her sister’s strength symbolize the growth of each of the four sisters from their birth to their spectacular transformation of strong-willed women willing to sacrifice themselves for their country.
All of the sisters go through a life-changing period where they finally realize their identity and their purpose in life. Patria, the oldest of the Mirabal sister, processes the ability to adapt and continue on even when life becomes unbearable. Patria’s internal conflict depicts the thematic message of the ability to move past the suffering duration of lost and confusion in order to find one’s true identity. After Patria detects the manipulative power and danger Trujillo represents to her family, she finds the strength to resurface from her grief, thus allowing her to see he vile truth of Trujillo. “I was a changed woman” (Alvarez 162).
The Essay on Family and Life Story Work
?In this assignment I aim to discuss life story work: which can provide the care worker, and care receiver a better understanding of each other’s needs, and provide the care worker with information that can help support the care receiver in the best way. The carer needs to possess certain skills sensitivity, confidentiality, empathy, trustworthiness, and have commitment to seeing the story to the ...
This epiphany molds the rest of Patria’s life, guiding her to her journey of tribulation and freedom. She refuses to accept the instability and corruption of her country due to Trujillo’s dictatorship. Patria no longer sees just the good in people but now has the ability to also see the bad. She miraculously changes due to the loss of her babt and becomes a new person with a new perspective in life. Patria realizes through everything, her family has been standing by her side. Although she initially does nothing while the cruel tyrant targets them, Patria achieves determination and audacious courage to save the family she loves.
The Mirabal sisters, now knowing the evil of the Trujillo regime, struggle with ambivalence of the next step: protect their family or fight for the greater good. “We sit silently, listening to the rain on the thatched roof, a numb, damp, fantastic feeling among us. Something has started that none of us can stop” (Alvarez 116).
As things turn for the worse for the Mirabal sisters, it also begins to rain. The rain signifies a turning point in the novel, where Trujillo’s malicious hunting game begins, and the Mirabal family have become the prey.
The rain symbolizes the tragic and disastrous events terrorizing the people, as it foreshadows the doom looming over them. The first of the series of horrifying events begins with the Mirabal sisters watching helplessly as the cruel government incarcerates their father. This links to the theme of overcoming the rain, or the inevitable challenges in life.. The Mirabal sisters do not let their fear of the destructive rain or their challenges suppress them, instead their courage allows them to overcome their challenges and fight for their country.
The Essay on Stella Rondo Story Family Sister
In the short story "Why I Live at the P. O." , author Eudora Welty creates a "grim comedy" in which what happens to the characters immediately seem to be funny but in the end cause them to have a destructive ending. Welty borrows from her own life experiences from being raised in the South to develop a story in which a comic character lives their own sad destructive life in the South. Welty " ...
The rain also symbolizes Trujillo’s rule and the dreariness he brings upon the Mirabal family and the country. His power and dictatorship represents a storm covering the entire country, soaking the country with his rule and drowning all its beauty. The rain suppresses all the freedom and happiness as the country becomes submerged in the rain. It not only shows how unstoppable Trujillo can be, but also his evil and ruthlessness. The Mirabal sisters know they cannot stop the rain once it starts, like they know they cannot stop Trujillo from inflicting his cruelty and pain upon them.
They see his depravity projected toward their family, and the Mirabal sisters realize the safety of their family and the good of their country are the same battle. Their only choice is to fight. Julia Alvarez illuminates Patria and the Mirabal sister’s challenges that they courageously overcome in order to fight for liberation. Their strength and ardor serve as exemplary characteristics to women and men of their time. In the sisters’ rough journey they experience challenges, transforming them into the “mariposas” leading their country to liberation.
Patria apprehends she can no longer hide behind her fear, but needs to use her strength to fight for freedom. This is the battle for the rights of the people, the good of the country, and the safety of her family. Patria’s courageous action holds significant meaning. Her ability to transform and become a new person with a new perspective represents her beauty as one the “mariposas. ” Like a newly blossomed butterfly, it struggles at first, testing its wings, but it soon soars and flies free. Work Cited Alvarez, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies. New York: Penguin Group, 1995. Print.
