"In the Time of the Butterflies"

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that Julia Alvarez' novel "In the Time of the Butterflies" is based on the real story of the four Mirabal sisters, who take an active part in the Fourteenth of June Movement against the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. The paper discusses how Catholicism is a very important element in the novel and demonstrates how religion shapes the very culture and identity of the Dominican nation.

From the Paper:

"The main functions of the church in human life are those of kerygma or witness, litourgia or worship and diakonia or service. All of these three functions indicate the roles that the Catholic Church should play in the life of man, namely to witness the religion of Jesus Christ and to perpetuate it, to worship God as the sole divinity and to do service to men, that is to protect and support them at any time. In Alvarez' novel, the Church fails at the beginning in its main functions, as it becomes involved in the political game of power. When the Catholic Church backs the regime of Trujillo, it forgets the essential duties to God and man: it no longer acts as a witness to God when it comes to obey a single man, the dictator."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Alvarez, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies. New York: Penguin, 1995.
• Kevane, Bridget. Latino Literature in America. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2003.
• Reichardt, Mary R. Catholic Women Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2001.

More papers on "In the Time of the Butterflies":

• Analytical Essay # 67063 : "In The time of The Butterflies"
• Analytical Essay # 13938 : "In the Time of the Butterflies" ( Julia Alvarez )"
• Book Review # 10448 : "In The Time of Butterflies (Julia Alvarez)"

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