Literary Devices in In the Time of the Butterflies
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
The novel takes place entirely in the Dominican Republic, starting in the Trujillo Era—when Rafael Trujillo was the dictator-president of the island nation—and ending about thirty years after h...
Narrator Point of View
Each chapter has its own narrative technique. For example, Chapters 1, 5, and 9 have a third-person limited omniscient narrator that focuses on Dedé. The chapters where Minerva and Patria are the...
Genre
In the Time of the Butterflies is definitely a fictional novel, but it takes place during the real historical period of the Trujillo Era in the Dominican Republic, making it historical fiction. Its...
Tone
The author's attitude towards the four Mirabal sisters is obviously reverent—she's in awe of these amazing sisters. By inserting herself into the novel as the interviewer, she can be a little sel...
Writing Style
Because of the various narrators, In the Time of the Butterflies has a multi-voiced writing style. For example, in the first chapter, with the third-person narrator, you find lots of examples of Sp...
What's Up With the Title?
In the Time of the Butterflies refers to the time when the Mariposas (which is Spanish for Butterflies) were active. Mariposa is the code name that each of the three dead sisters, Minerva, Mate, an...
What's Up With the Ending?
Not counting the postscript (which is the author's commentary on the novel) the ending is from Dedé's perspective. She says that to chase away the evil memories at night she must remember all of h...
Tough-o-Meter
If you know Spanish, you're golden, but if not you might get tripped up on some of the italics in the novel. But never fear. Just look at an online dictionary if you're curious or roll with it and...
Plot Analysis
A Stranger Comes to TownDedé, the protagonist, agrees to meet with a strange interviewer woman who wants to ask her questions about her famous sisters and their lives and deaths. This brings up al...
Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis
The Mirabal sisters, especially Minerva, are restless on their farm. They want to get out into the big world and see what there is to see. Lío comes into their lives and presents them with the pos...
Three-Act Plot Analysis
The novel is neatly divided into three parts. The first part/act is about the four Mirabal sisters' coming of age. Each one of them has some sort of crisis, whether it's spiritual, political, or ro...
Trivia
The author, Julia Alvarez, moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 1960, the same year the Mirabal sisters were killed. (Source)Julia Alvarez also writes YA books. (Source)In the...
Steaminess Rating
This is definitely among the steamier novels we here at Shmoop have had the pleasure to read. Those Mirabal sisters are just very descriptive when it comes to their encounters with their men. Don't...
Allusions
José Martí (2.7.50-52)Gabriela Mistral (2.7.117)Judas (3.10.208)Ramfis Trujillo (1.2.133-146, 3.11.46)Trygve Lie (2.5.98)Fidel Castro (2.7.72, 2.8.17, 3.11.62, 4.13.63)Adolf Hitler (2.7.142)Benit...