"Dios, Patria, Libertad!"

            In the Time of the Butterflies only continues to become more dramatic and powerful as the novel progresses.  Minerva, Patria, and Maria Theresa Mirabal have become more and more passionate with their revolutionary hopes and ideals, as they struggle to inspire lasting change on their country.  Dede, meanwhile, must cope with personal issues.  Her husband Jaimito doesn’t want her involved with the political controversies that her sisters have gotten themselves wrapped up in, and her forced choice between her sisters and her husbands is causing tension in all aspects of Dede’s life.  Perhaps the facet of the story that has developed the most throughout the last chapters has been the source of the sisters’ anguish – Trujillo’s political regime. 

The dictatorship of the Dominican Republic has obviously exhibited its corruption and greed previously in the book, but only now that the Mirabals are becoming real threats to the administration is its true brutality beginning to be uncovered.  Minerva and her husband, Maria Theresa and her husband, and Patria’s husband and son are all arrested.  Their houses are pillaged and burned, and their cars and possessions are stolen.  Each day, listings of prisoners that appear in the newspapers contain hundreds of names, and hundreds of other prisoners, whose names are not listed, mysteriously go “missing.” 

The fear that the Dominicans lived through during this time period must have been astounding.  Rafael Trujillo and his leadership repressed the essential freedoms and culture of the country, even forcing each household to hang his picture on their walls.  He embodied the opposition of the Dominican Republic’s present-day motto, “Dios, Patria, Libertad!” or “God, Fatherland, Liberty!”  To celebrate and learn of the country’s greatly improved current conditions, test your Dominican knowledge on Sporcle!

http://www.sporcle.com/games/ecpark09/country_dr

After taking the above quiz myself and looking further into the history and growth of the Dominican Republic, I couldn’t help but to take notice of the national motto.  Patria Mirabal shares her name with one of the country’s primary principles, the meaning of which is “fatherland.”  Additional curiosity driven research revealed the meanings behind each of the Mirabal sisters’ names, and surprisingly, the results appear to correspond with their personalities and their historic roles as well.  Each of the sisters’ Glogsters below represent the symbolism behind their names and offer greater incite into their lives.  Can you infer the significance of each one before reading my own reasoning and interpretations?

            The first visual, Dede’s, depicts a mosaic of a heart.  The bigger picture is made up of smaller, broken pieces fitted roughly together.  In the Spanish culture, the name Dede means “broken heart”, and as Dede is the only one of the four Mirabal girls to survive their stand against Trujillo’s regime, her heart as well is left shattered.  Moreover, she suffers through a trying divorce and is left to raise her children and her sisters’ children alone.

            The second Glogster is Minerva’s, and it portrays crossed swords, as the name Minerva means “war” and “craft.”  Minerva has certainly always been the most rebellious, dramatic, and determined of any of the other characters in the novel.  Even after Maria Theresa and Patria join her in her revolutionary cause, Minerva remains at the head of the country’s rally for change.

            Patria’s Glogster depicts and owl because although her name does mean “fatherland,” it also means “wisdom” and “nobility.”  As the oldest Mirabal sister, Patria always has been of the concerned, motherly type.  She would be the one to go to for advice or guidance free of judgment.  She was a role model for her little sisters when they were all younger, and throughout the novel, she has remained strong and supportive of her family and their choices.

            Maria Theresa’s poster shows a large star, as I found her name to mean just that, “star.”  The youngest Mirabal is clearly the most bubbly in the family.  With a big heart and caring nature, she shines from the inside out.  However, because of their great distance, stars in the night sky often appear to be shining when in reality their sparks may have died out long ago.  In the same way, Maria Theresa seems to have gotten too far ahead of herself.  She quickly became involved in Minerva’s revolutionary ways because of the draw of the excitement and danger.  Not long after though, she found her husband jailed and her belongings taken or destroyed.  Maria Theresa continued to advocate for reform because she didn’t know what other options she had if she wanted things to change, but she may have potentially reached her limit.  Her passion could be fading, or it may already have expired.

            As In the Time of the Butterflies continues to develop and suspense continues to build, I’m looking forward to reading on!