The Theme of Oppression in the Book of Julia Alavarez, in the Time of the Butterflies

In the book, “Throughout the Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez, examples of fascism occur within the lives of the Mirabal sisters. Censorship, search and seizure, and fear for life and liberty are three instances of such oppression. Censorship restricted the citizens’ freedom to express their feelings and opinions about their political system. The regime of the Dominican Republic worked tirelessly to prevent people from speaking their minds or disobeying its dictator.

For instance, Patria, a deeply religious individual, tried to persuade Minerva, her younger sister, to go to church.

However, Minerva informed her that a friend had revealed the priests were on a “double payroll” (52). This implied even the priests were paid to spy on and report any suspicious or culpable individuals who planned to oppose the regime. People risked being spied on during confession. This oppression through censorship also induced doubts among people about whom they could trust. Maria Teresa revealed that the gardener, Prietol, was betraying her family by reporting everything he overheard in the Mirabal household to security in exchange for a bottle of rum and some pesos.

Consequently, the family felt uneasy speaking in their own home. They couldn’t even dismiss him because that would seem like they had something to hide (129). Even when the family gathered in the front yard to share stories, they all fell silent the moment Minerva and Papa began discussing Trujillo and women in the government. Suddenly, it felt as if the darkness was filled with spies who are paid to overhear conversations and report back to security (10). The family grew increasingly wary of potential spies around them, and they carefully avoided discussing anything even remotely suspicious. In the face of such adversity, they learned to hold their tongues, regardless of their rebellious feelings.

In the United States, the Fourth Amendment protects citizens from warrantless searches and seizures. This means, no one should have their residence searched, or be seized without a warrant. The Dominican Republic’s regime during this time, however, seized people in the streets, in their homes, and searched their properties without any legal justification. Galindez, known for his defiant acts, was writing a book about the regime. Trujillo’s workers tried to bribe Galindez into giving away the book to ensure his insights never saw the light of day. However, Galindez refused the offer. As Maria Teresa acknowledged, “Disappearances occur weekly!” (136) and unsurprisingly, Galindez soon became one of the disappeared.

An additional example was the fact that Minerva belonged to secret meetings which she attended behind the scenes. Among her close friends, Hilda, was eventually caught. She was apprehended by the police while trying to leave the convent and, thereafter, everyone who was part of those secret meetings had to destroy anything that could incriminate them. Minerva was burying items like her poems and documents, as well as letters (43), in order to avoid capture. The interesting point is that Hilda was only suspected because she had some secret documents in the trunk of her vehicle and the trunk was pried open (41). The fact that they searched Hilda’s property without a warrant, and then seized her at a convent, exemplifies the oppressive acts of search and seizure.

The people of the Dominican Republic lived in fear for their lives and their freedom if they spoke privately or publicly against the regime, or its dictator. If they were to do so, death and/or imprisonment could be in their future. An example was when Sinita and Minerva were praised for their performance about freedom, something they both strongly believed in. One of the sequences had Sinita aiming a bow at imaginary enemies, but during the performance for Trujillo, Sinita kept moving forward and didn’t stop until she was right in front of Trujillo’s chair, prompting a stunned silence in the hall. Ramfis, Trujillo’s son, snapped the bow in half and screamed, “Use your dog’s death, bitch!” in order to free Minerva’s persona. Sinita leaned down and untied Minerva with her mouth (28 ).

Even Maria Teresa at a young age felt as though she was being watched by the eyes of Trujillo as his photo hung prominently in her home. She felt as though he was trying to catch her doing something wrong! (39) What was more disturbing was when Sinita tried to explain to Minerva that “People who opened their big mouths didn’t live very long” (18). It was difficult for Minerva to comprehend what was really happening in her country at such a young age, but then Sinita exclaimed, “Minerva, don’t you see? Trujillo is having everyone killed!” (19) Sinita was familiar with such occurrences, as her father, uncles, and brother were all murdered for rebelling against the regime. At that point, Minerva understood the great risk involved if she chose to act out her freedom.

The Mirabal sisters were staunch opponents of Trujillo’s tyrannical rule. The examples highlight the oppressive power behind the regime that terrorized innocent lives. Trujillo’s rule influenced the daily lives of the Dominicans, intruding on their hearts and minds. Just as Sinita feared for her life and was censored against her will, she realized that someone would have to be “stupid enough to say anything bad about the government” (10).

Did you like this example?

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