In The Time Of The Butterflies Analysis

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Symbolism of the Moths in In the Time of the Butterflies Moths have always been famous for congregating around light. They are always found to be blindly swarming around a patio light or street lamb, drawn by the artificial warmth. In the novel In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, moths are mentioned many times in relation to different sources of light. The light of Trujillo is an artificial light, one that kills if you get to close. While the light of the Mirabal sisters and the revolution is a true light, one that radiates warmth and draws the people of the Dominican Republic to them. The moths in the story are symbolic of the people of the Dominican Republic blindly following Trujillo, and as the story progresses, turning to the light of the Mirabal sisters.…show more content…
The sparkling light from the headlights is Trujillo and how he is viewed by the population of the Dominican Republic. He is their light, and the people follow him blindly, having been brainwashed to think he is a God. Minerva realizes that she has been blind too when Sinita tells her the story of how her family was mercilessly killed by Trujillo. This is represented by the moths leaving “Blurry marks, until it seemed like I was looking at the world through a curtain of tears” (Alvarez 29). Minerva had been looking at the world the way Trujillo wanted her to see it, but now she is able to see the pain he is causing for the people of the Dominican
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