In The Time Of The Butterflies

Question 0

Describe Matè

Answer 0

This is the youngest sister of the family.
She learns about the Revolution from when her moves in with her older sister, Minerva. She decides to join the cause.
She meets her husband, Leandro.
Because she is the youngest, she is more emotional throughout the book.

Question 1

Describe Dede Mirable

Answer 1

Second daughter of the Mirabals.
She is the only one who survived the reign of Trujillo.
Her husband keeps her from joining the revolution.
She is married to Jamito but get a divorce and they have three sons
She is the only one left to tell her sisters story after they die.

Question 2

Describe Minerva Mirabal

Answer 2

She is the third Mirabal sister
She is also the most involved in the Revolution
She gets married to Monolo Travarez and they two children: Minou and Manolito.

Question 3

Describe Patria Mirabal

Answer 3

Eldest sister
Her faith and religion inspire her to become a nun in the beginning of the book. Love at first sight causes her to get married
Has four children but one is a stillborn
Gets involved in the Revolution

Question 4

Describe Enrique Mirabal(Father to the sisters)

Answer 4

Has an affair with Carmen and ends up having four children with her
Bossy
Owns where the family lives

Question 5

Who was Enrique’s other family?

Answer 5

Carmen is the women he has an affair with. Margarita Mirabal-
One of Enrique and Carmen’s daughters
Helps Dede sneak things in to the three imprisoned sisters

Question 6

Describe Pedrito Gonzales

Answer 6

Pedrito Gonzales-
Patria’s husband
Also goes to prison for the cause of the Revolution.
He is very down to earth
He is restless after the death of Patria and then remarries a young girl.

Question 7

Who are Nelson, Norris and Raul Ernesto?

Answer 7

The children of Patria and Pedrito.

Question 8

Describe Jamito

Answer 8

Dedes husband.
Basically bands her from joining the Revolution.
He never really loved her

Question 9

Who is Minerva’s husband??

Answer 9

Manolo-
Minerva’s husband.
The Revolution comes first in their marriage.
Studied law
He stays in the revolution even after his wife is killed

Question 10

What sister did Leandro Guzman Rodriguez marry??

Answer 10

Maté’s husband

Question 11

What friend gets Minerva to dislike the government in the beginning? Describe her.

Answer 11

Sinita Perozo
Minerva’s friend at Sor Asuncíon
She explains how bad Trujillo is to Minverva
Most of her family was killed because of him.

Question 12

Who did Leo date? Who loved him? What happened to him?

Answer 12

Leo dates Minerva. Dede loved him.

Question 13

What does the SIM stand for?

Answer 13

Secret police working for Trujillo

Question 14

Who are the OAS and what is their purpose?

Answer 14

The OAS is otherwise known as the Organization of American States. They are investigating the political prisoners’ situation in the Dominican Republic under the Trujillo regime.

Question 15

How is prison life for the girls?

Answer 15

In the book In the Time of the Butterflies the two sisters Minerva and Mate were arrested and locked up in a small cell with other women. Several of the women were political prisoners like the Mirabel sisters but many of the others were prostitutes. There was also a woman who had tried to get her child back by threatening to kill someone who had her child.

Everyday Minerva would hold school except on Sunday. They would discuss the revolution and how to behave. When they pardoned several people they offerred a pardon to the Mirabel sisters but they refused. Minerva said that if she had nothing to be pardoned for because she had done nothing wrong, then she could not give in to be pardoned.

In the prison the women were very hungry, on several occasions Minerva was placed in solitary confinement for acting out, and Mate was beaten and physically abused. They had one male prison guard who tried to be kind to them and brought them smuggled in packages and even some blue hair ribbon for Mate.

Question 16

Why do they decide to go over the pass?

Answer 16

They go over the pass because they cannot bear to be away from their family since getting out of prison. Therefore they ignore the warnings