Sacrifice in the Name of Change in In the Time of the Butterflies

Minerva is put in numerous dangerous situations, but she does not let it scare her away, she is determined to make change. Maria Teresa gives up her love of things for what is morally right which makes her a stronger person, and Patria offers her land which could put her at risk, and gives her religion up realizing that she must put her faith aside, and support her family even if she does not fully agree with what they are doing. Throughout In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alverez, the Mirabal sisters make sacrifices that lead them to change as the novel goes on.

Minerva sacrifices her well being to change history and make her mark. She has realized that she puts herself in dangerous situations that have bad consequences, but she continues to do it to make a change, and be a part of history. Minerva says, “Condemn me, it does not matter. History will absolve me!” (Alvarez, 123). She sacrifices her safety and well being to make a difference. At first, she wanted to study law, but at the end of the novel before she dies, she no longer cares if she will never be able to study law, as long as she makes her mark in the revolution and changed history.

Maria Teresa gives up her materialistic life of things to fight for what she believes in, and as a result she becomes a stronger person. In the beginning of the book, she writes in her diary, “I love my new shoes from my First Communion. They’re white leather with just a little heel like a grownup young lady” (30). She was rehearsing, and wanted the right outfit for her Communion, and she was caught up with the materialistic and, and small personal parts of life. Later in the book, she dedicates herself to the revolution, and gets arrested. While in jail she wrote “Then one day, you’re out of here, free, only to discover you’ve locked yourself up and thrown away the key somewhere too deep inside your heart to fish it out” (231). Even though she will get out of jail, she will never be who she was before, and she will forever be a different person because of what she sacrificed and what she went through. She went from a young girl who was concerned about her shoes, to a strong young woman who survived the gut wrenching experience of jail during Trujillo’s leadership.

Patria offers her safety up, and becomes more involved and aware of the revolution as opposed to just sticking to her faith. In the book, I group formed by people who are close to Patria has to meet to discuss plans for furthering the revolution. They need a place to meet, so Patria “offered them our land” and it also said “If the SIM came” which means the SIM, a secret police that would arrest people who were taking part in the revolution, could come at any time and arrest everyone including Patria. However, she still lets them meet on her land because even though it puts her at risk, she realizes that she has to make a sacrifice for the greater good, and put her faith behind her so that she can hopefully live a fuller life of peace without Trujillo in power. At first, Patria would pray a lot and basically hope that things would get better, but she now got to the point where she will let her family fight in the revolution and even help and support them even if she is not fully on board.

Throughout the novel, all of the sisters changed a lot because of the sacrifices they make. Minerva becomes a stronger, more selfless person after giving up her future and safety for the revolution. Marea Teresa because a stronger woman after she leaves her materialistic life behind, and focuses on saving her country. Patria becomes more aware and less reliant on faith when she realizes that praying won’t fix anything, and she must sacrifice her beliefs, and her safety to support her family, even if she does not fully agree with what they are doing.