Into the Lives of "Las Mariposas"

After reading In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, I was so enraptured with what the Mirabal sisters had done that I wanted to figure out if they actually existed. After a quick Google search and a handful of clicks later, I was stunned by the results. The Mirabal sisters were actual people that did in fact die in the hands of dictator Trujillo. And more amazingly, the sole survivor of the “car accident”, Dedé, is still alive today. This realization made the death of the three passionate sisters even more profound.

Trujillo, although the central antagonist of the novel, did not have many detailed descriptions of his corrupt actions. All I was able to understand from the story was that he was a womanizer, had murdered numerous people, was extremely sneaky and cunning, and had forced people to treat him as a god. I learned that he even had the support of the U.S. for a time. Of course, this was before the actions of Trujillo were revealed, but to know that the U.S. was patting Trujillo’s back while he executed protesters left and right was nonetheless disturbing.

The novel contained the perspectives of all four sisters: Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa (aka Mate). Patria was the devout Christian and the last of the three sisters to join the revolution, Dedé was loyal but stuck between her devotion to her husband and to her sisters, Minerva was the first Mariposa and the most stubborn, and Mate was sensitive yet brave. The three that were murdered by Trujillo fought for their families and their country’s safety until their dying breaths. And Dedé, although held back by her cautious husband, was the one that lived to tell her sisters’ stories and to fill the hole left by remorse for not being supportive in the past. It’s definitely fascinating to know that there were such people in the world that were willing to jeopardize their lives to better others’. Although parts of the story are fabricated, the reality of the Mirabal sisters’ actions is unquestionable. Slapping the dictator’s face is definitely revolutionary.

¡Vivan las Mariposas!