In The Time of the Butterflies: Characters
A brief analysis of some of the significant characters in In the Time of the Butterflies
Maribal Family Tree
The Maribal Sisters Key Traits
Important Quotations
Patria
“I’d write out my religious name in all kinds of script’–Sor Mercedes–the way other girls were trying out their given names with the surnames of cute boys,” (45)
“On my own, I would never have thought of naming my son after revolutionaries. “Ernesto,” I said, “I’m going to name him Raul Ernesto” (151)
Dedé
“I don’t play,” she says more meekly than she intends. “I just watch,” (70)
“I just have to admit to myself. I’m not you—no really, I mean it. I could be brave if someone were by me every day of my life to remind me to be brave. I don’t come by it naturally,” (186)
Minerva
“He yanks me by the wrist, thrusting his pelvis at me in a vulgar way, and I can see my hand in an endless slow motion rise–a mind all its own–and come down on the astonished, made-up face,” (100)
“You know as well as I do that without schooling we women have even fewer choices open to us,” (105)
“I don’t think it’s fair if you just make an exception for us,” (14)
Mate
“I admit that for me love goes deeper than the struggle, or maybe what I mean is, love is the deeper struggle” (147)
Other Characters
Lío – A member of the revolution, a key figure in introducing the sisters to the movement and inspiring them to think independently. Had a close friendship with Minerva, but their compatibility never led to a romantic relationship. He is exiled from the country on several accounts, but ends up growing old in the Dominican Republic. His presence in the Mirabal household causes their family so worry and trouble, but ultimately brings no harm to them.
Papá – The father of the Mirabal sisters, he was an alcoholic and has an affair with illegitimate children, but he is still looked up to by his daughters. He is imprisoned after Minerva’s conduct at a party, and has an untreated heart attack while in prison which leads to his death a few years after his release. He encourages his daughters’ intellectual growth but was still very strict and conservative in their upbringing.
Sinita – Minerva’s first friend upon entering school. All of the men in Sinita’s family have been killed by Trujillo because of their involvement with the revolution. Sinita is the first one to suggest to Minerva that Trujillo is unjust and cruel. At one point, she threatens Trujillo by pointing a toy bow and arrow at his head.
The Other Family – Papá has four other daughters by his mistress, Carmen. He does provide some support for them, but they are still very poor. This family reflects the disloyal actions of their father as well as the moral compass of the Mirabal sisters as they being to accept and recognize their half-sisters.
Lina Lovatón – Another girl that Minerva met in school, only several years older. She was looked up to by the other girls as she was kind and noble and had beautiful red hair. Lina becomes an object of interest to Trujillo, who swoons her and convinces her to come live in one of his houses, even before she graduates. She gets pregnant and Trujillo sends her to go live in Florida so as not to upset his wife. Lina is an example to Minerva of another one of Trujillo’s evils and his ability to directly affect the lives of her community.
Fela (Housekeeper) – Fela is a housekeeper in the Mirabal household for most of their lives. She is very saddened by their loss and belives that she is in contact with their spirits. She has set up a shack as a shrine/memorial to the sisters, and people visit her so as to speak to them. Minerva’s daughter Minou visits her frequently.
The Husbands – Pedrito, Jaimito, Manolo and Leandro are all imprisoned both because of their activities and their relations to their wives. They are part of the revolution just as much as the sisters, but they are overshadowed and are very static characters.
Pedrito is a farmer, and loves the land that has been in his family for centuries, but gives it up for his wife and for the revolution. He marries someone after Patria’s death but is never as happy as he was when she was alive.
Jaimito is very controlling, and gets worse with age, but is ultimately loyal to Dedé and her family. He is her cousin and their marriage was practically arranged at their birth. Their marriage does fail nevertheless, but Dedé is happy with their separation.
Manolo is a big revolutionary, and once has an affair while married to Minerva, but they mend their relationship quickly after. He is killed in the mountains shortly after he is released from jail. He is a couple years younger than Minerva which is slightly unusual. He was also engaged to another when they first met.
Leandro is a friend/business partner of Manolo. Mate met him while he was delivering a package of firearms and he sparks her interest in the revolution. The two fall madly in love and have a happy marriage. Leandro also remarries after Mate’s death, and he continues to prosper as an engineer/architect.
The Children – Before the accident, the children are a reminder of the ordinary domestic life of the sisters, and their ability to both be bold faces of the revolution as well as kind mothers. After their death, they serve as a reminder of the sisters and their happiness and bright future reflect everything their mothers fought for.
Rufino (The driver) – Rufino is not discussed as much in the story besides being the only driver that is brave enough to drive the sisters. He was assassinated with them, but his death is often left out of history.
In-Depth Analysis: Dedé
The Dominican Republic: The One Who Survived
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez tells the story of the figureheads of the revolution in the Dominican Republic in the mid-twentieth century: The Mirabal sisters. The second oldest of these four sisters is the least well known, as she had the least involvement in the movement and was not assassinated like her sisters. Alvarez chooses to emphasize Dedé’s story to recreate the family dynamic that is lost in the sisters’ heroic representation, but also to provide a more common perspective of the revolution. Dedé’s character gives insight to the average Dominican household and the common people’s involvement in the revolution.
Although Dedé has very famous sisters, she lived a very ordinary life. She is very loyal to her family, even offering to stay behind and run the family business before starting her education. Her family was wealthier than the general middle class, but she experiences financial hardship with her husband’s failed business ventures and when her sisters and their families are forced to move in with her. She marries her cousin, which is a common arrangement in the Dominican Republic in the 1950s. Dedé’s engagement was not as romantic as it was inevitable. Dedé acknowledges the path laid out her when she wonders, “There was no question—was there? —but that they would spend the rest of their lives together,” before accepting Jaimito’s proposal (82). Dedé accepts what is expected of her and will do whatever it takes to satisfy her local community and family.
Dedé was restricted by these expectations, or more directly, by her husband. Jaimito was fearful of the government and Trujillo and so he did not want her to stick her neck out and put their family at risk. Alvarez summarizes that, “Her life had gotten bound up with a domineering man, and so she shrank from the challenge her sisters were giving her” (177). Dedé would blame her inactivity in the revolution on her obedience to her husband. For instance, when Patria asks her to play a role in the revolutionary movement without considering Jaimito’s opinion, she says, “Well, I don’t have that kind of marriage” (176). Dedé did side with the rebels in her mentality, as she snuck out of her bedroom at nigh to listen to their radio stations, but she chose to remain inactive. This choice is foreshadowed in her adolescence chapters when she says, “I don’t play,” she says more meekly than she intends “I just watch,” when Lio mocks her volleyball attire (70). Dedé watches her sisters and sympathizes with them, but cannot and will not join them, just as many Dominican families were too afraid or too at-risk to join the revolution.
Dedé can stand with her sisters once she steps away from Jaimito and realizes that it has been her own fears, rather than her marriage vows, that have held her back. She tells Minerva, “I just have to admit to myself. I’m not you—no really, I mean it. I could be brave if someone were by me every day of my life to remind me to be brave. I don’t come by it naturally” (186). After this statement she begins to act more boldly than ever before. Jaimito’s control over Dedé’s life resembles Trujillo’s control over his state. Once Dedé breaks free and realized how much the relationship was hurting her, she could turn around and fight. She becomes an individual character when she stands up for herself and her sisters. She is still a symbol of her country as they put faith in themselves and in the leaders of the Fourteenth of June movement.
Dedé finds her purpose when Jaimito tells her, “This is your martyrdom, Dedé, to be alive without them” (308). She listens to the stories of everyone who can recount her sisters last moments and she shares the stories of their lives with everyone who is eager to listen. She keeps the history and the spirit of the Dominican Republic as she lives without them. Dedé’s character may be uninteresting in comparison to the vivacity of her sisters, but her views emphasize the boldness her sisters embodied as they served as the faces of the revolution.
Content by Heidi Knutsen 2018