In the Time of the Butterflies

The narrative returns to the present day (1994). Dedé is still talking to the interviewer and thinking about Fela, who was the Mirabals’ old servant. Unbeknownst to Dedé, Fela had recently claimed to be in touch with the spirits of the dead sisters. She set up a shrine to them in the shed behind Dedé’s house, and allowed herself to become possessed by the spirits to convey messages to people. People actually came from far away just to consult the sisters.

Dedé knew nothing about Fela and what she was doing until the Bishop himself paid Dedé a visit and told her. Shocked, Dedé snuck into the shed and found the shrine, with pictures of the three sisters, as well as one of Trujillo. She confronted Fela and gave her two options: stop the readings immediately, or lose her job. Fela eventually cleaned out the shed and set up her own “business” down the road. Even Minou consults Fela to “talk” to her mother, Minerva, which infuriates Dedé. Recently, Minou mentioned Minerva’s old friend, Virgilio Morales. Dedé knows where he lives, but has not been to see him. Though Dedé tries to make Minou ashamed of talking to spirits, Minou retorts that she wants to be her own person, not just “the daughter of a legend” (65).

The narrative returns to the interview, but Dedé is obviously distracted by thoughts of Virgilio Morales, who is also known as “Lío.” Dedé mentions him to the interviewer, but she has never heard of him. Dedé explains that he was a radical young man who was exiled repeatedly for his beliefs. The interviewer implies that Lío was Minerva’s “special friend,” (66) but Dedé says defensively that he was her friend too. This thought makes her realize that she is still “fighting with her dead sister over a beau” (66). Dedé remembers Lío again, and how she would imagine his eyes staring at her accusingly whenever she went along with Trujillo and his regime.

The story then switches to 1948, and is told by way of Dedé’s memory. Dedé and Minerva are at their father’s store, trying to finish their inventory of the store merchandise. Dedé is usually very precise, but today she is preoccupied and wants to finish. She is excited because they are about to go to their uncle’s house and her cousin Jaimito will be there. Dedé and Jaimito have been jokingly paired up since childhood by their mothers, but now Dedé realizes that she is actually attracted to him. Moreover, Dedé is happy because she knows that, if she marries Jaimito, her life will continue in a familiar way.

Before the girls can finish, two men suddenly appear. One of them is Mario, one of the store’s distributors, and the other is an intellectual-looking man who is introduced to the sisters as Virgilio Morales, a student at the university. Hearing this, Minerva immediately engages the young man in conversation; they both know Elsa and Sinita, who are at the university now, further drawing Minerva’s interest. Dedé tries to get the young man’s attention as well, but finds that Minerva has stolen the show. Mario tries to flirt with Dedé, but she rebuffs him, as she has done many times in the past.

Virgilio suggests that they all go swimming, but Dedé wants to play volleyball so that she can see Jaimito. Minerva then suggests that they play volleyball first, and then go swimming to cool down. First they have to convince Papá to give them permission. Initially, he refuses, but when Minerva insists that they are going to their uncle’s house and will have plenty of chaperones, he finally relents. When they get to the car, Virgilio opens the door and Minerva gets in. Dedé notices how she naturally hesitates, how she stands back while Minerva slips in to sit next to Lío.

A few weeks later, Dedé again joins the group playing volleyball. This time, and with Jaimito’s encouragement, she plays. This is unusual for Dedé, as she considers “sports—like politics—something for men” (70). Lío and Minerva are talking intently, and the teams are formed so that it is women against men. As night falls, Dedé notices that Minerva has disappeared. When it is Dedé’s turn to serve, she hits the ball into the nearby hedges, perhaps on purpose, and surprises Minerva and Lío who were concealed there.

Their discovery leads to a quarrel between Jaimito and Lío, in which Jaimito accuses Lío of being troublesome. Lío criticizes Trujillo in turn, and then Jaimito accuses Lío of abandoning his comrades to be tortured and killed whenever he flees the country. There is an uneasy silence when Lío mentions the regime, as there always is, but Minerva’s uncle comes out and forces the two young men to stop fighting, and the two finally shake hands. Lío tells Jaimito that his cause “could use men like you” (73). Back in the present day, Dedé wonders why the memory of this fight seems so important.

Dedé then returns to her memories of Virgilio (Lío), and she remembers how Mamá always complimented him and talked about politics with him. Dedé was a bit resentful that Mamá liked Lío so much, as she never complimented Jaimito in this way. By this time, Dedé and Jaimito are together, and they often sneak off to kiss. One day, María Teresa is reading the newspaper to Mamá, who is still pretending that her eyesight is bad, and they find Virgilio’s name listed among a group of Communist protesters at the university.

Mamá gets angry at Minerva for consorting with an enemy of the state, and Minerva points out that Mamá had agreed with Virgilio’s ideas before she knew that he is a Communist. Dedé realizes that she has never thought of Lío as a subversive Communist either, but only as a “fine young man” (75). Dedé then realizes that Lío and Minerva are both enemies of the state, and suddenly understands what Minerva has been saying about all of them living in a “police state.”

After her revelation about Lío and Minerva, Dedé begins paying closer attention to the newspapers. She also decides to provide Minerva with an alibi when she is meeting with Lío. Minerva “chaperones” Dedé and Jaimito when they go out together, and on the way they pick up Lío. It is hard for them to go places with a lot of people, and Lío usually hides in the back seat. After these outings, Dedé is always ecstatic, and wants to talk to Minerva about their suitors. However, Minerva claims that she is not in love with Lío; rather, they are “comrades in a struggle” (76), though Dedé is doubtful of this.

Soon Dedé feels her courage unraveling in the face of her new political understanding, and she finds herself asking Lío what his practical goals are. Lío lectures her on ideals, but is not able to offer any immediate, concrete solutions. Dedé asks him where he gets his hope and courage, and Lío says that it is not so much courage as it is common sense.

In time, Lío’s name starts appearing in the papers more frequently, as the Communist Party is outlawed and slandered as “a party for homosexuals and criminals” (77). One day, the police come to the Mirabal house asking for Lío. Mamá says she has not seen him in months, which is the truth, and Dedé becomes frightened as she gets the sense that her life is being upended by politics. She even finds herself wondering whether or not she should marry Jaimito.

Eventually, Dedé decides to stop reading the newspaper, especially given the fact that the regime has been passing ridiculous regulations recently. She complains to Jaimito, but he thinks the rules are reasonable and tries to explain them rationally to Dedé. Dedé, however, knows that the regulations are wrong, but purposefully chooses to ignore them and turn a blind eye in the hope that things will get better. Soon afterward, Lío decides to go into exile again. Jaimito says that Lío should try to compromise with the government instead, but Dedé defends him. She admires Lío for his courage, but accepts that she is not as brave as she wants to be.

Dedé remembers the night that Lío finally went into hiding. They had all just come from a meeting of the Dominican Party, which is the only legal political party in the country at the time. They attended the meeting at Jaimito’s request as a show of support for Trujillo. After the meeting, Jaimito asks Minerva whether Lío has asked her to go into hiding with him. Minerva says he has not and denies being in love with Lío.

After Minerva leaves, Dedé and Jaimito sneak out to the car and Jaimito proposes to her. He gives her a ring, and as they are admiring it, they hear someone cough and realize that Lío is hiding in the back seat. Lío apologizes for being a nuisance, but tells them that he is in great danger, and gives Dedé a note to deliver to Minerva. Jaimito gets angry at Lío for endangering the Mirabal family, but Dedé convinces him to let Lío stay and for Jaimito to go home. He wanted to drive Lío to the capital, but they both convince him that it is too dangerous. She accepts Jaimito’s marriage proposal, almost casually, before he finally drives away.

Dedé then goes inside and reads Lío’s letter. In the letter, Lío asks Minerva to go into hiding with him. Dedé tells herself that she cannot expose her sister to such danger, especially if Minerva does not love Lío, so she burns the letter instead.

(What do you want, Minerva Mirabal?: Summer)

The narrative switches again to Minerva’s point-of-view. She mentions that, unlike her sisters, she never paid much attention to boys when growing up. She is stuck at home for three years after graduating from the convent school, and is jealous that her friends, Elsa and Sinita, are at university in the capital. Whenever she receives a letter from them she takes off in the family jeep and drives around restlessly, imagining that she is driving off into the sunset.

One afternoon, while driving around listlessly, Minerva sees her father’s car parked outside of a campesino’s house. She makes a point of driving by the house on her way back home, and notes that there are four little girls who run out into the driveway and beg for mints from her. More surprising, Minerva notes that the girls have the Mirabal eyes, and she asks them who their father is. They don’t answer her though; instead they go silent. She also asks if they have a brother, and feels “delicious revenge” (86) when they say that they do not. Minerva takes pleasure in the fact that her father still does not have the son he always wanted. Their mother finally comes out and eyes Minerva warily before she drives off.

Minerva admits that during the years she spent at home after graduation, she did not know what she wanted to do, and often felt as if she was asleep. When she met Lío, however, it was like waking up. She tried to decide which was more important to her, revolution or romance, but knew deep down that she desires both. Though Minerva was not in love with Lío, she was still hurt when he left the country without saying goodbye.

One day, Minerva picks the lock to Papá’s armoire while he is away on business. Inside, she is shocked to find four letters addressed to her from Lío in one of his coats. She reads the letters eagerly, and is puzzled by a reference to his invitation to seek asylum with him. By the fourth letter, however, he has accepted that Minerva has rejected his proposal and wishes her well. Minerva feels that she has missed a great opportunity and that her life would have been somehow nobler with Lío. She becomes angry with her father for his deception and blames him for stifling her.

Minerva purposefully leaves the armoire door open so that her father will realize she knows about the letters. She drives off and finds Papá at his mistress’s house, exactly where she thought he would be. Minerva rams the jeep into her father’s car, and then honks the horn until he comes out and sees her. She notes the look of surprise and remorse on his face before driving home. When Papá returns that night, he calls her outside and hits her in the face. Minerva tells her father: “you’ve lost my respect” (89) in a commanding voice, and sees his shoulders droop. Seeing this, Minerva realizes that he is the weakest member of the whole family, and that he needs all of their love. Papá apologizes to Minerva, but pretends that he is only apologizing for hiding Virgilio’s letters. Minerva does not say anything, however, choosing to let her father’s lie stand.

As well as the letters from Lío, Minerva found an invitation in Papá’s coat. He has been invited to a party thrown by Trujillo himself, and there is a special handwritten request that Minerva appear as well. Mamá is frightened by this, as she worries that Trujillo now desires Minerva. She agrees to let Minerva attend the party, however, if Patria, Dedé, Pedrito, and Jaimito all go to the party as well. María Teresa cries because she wants to go too, but Minerva and their mother say no. Everyone agrees that they do not need another daughter in Trujillo’s sights. Minerva promises to bring her a souvenir. At the last party she attended, Minerva brought her back a paper fan with Trujillo’s face on one side and the Virgin on the other. Minerva kept making María Teresa turn the fan around, as Minerva could not stand either face depending on her mood.

A week before the party, Minerva decides to accompany Papá when he is running errands. He promises that he is not involved with the woman anymore, and that he only goes to see his children. Minerva says she wants to meet them, and Papá is clearly moved. He agrees to take her, and he introduces Minerva to the little girls. As it turns out, the girls and their mother now live in a new house in a nicer neighborhood. The oldest child, Margarita, is ten. Minerva notices that the mother wears a fake wedding ring, perhaps trying to pretend that she is more respectable than she is.

On the drive home, Minerva asks Papá why he cheated in the first place, and he says that initially it was just one of those “things a man does” (92). He then asks Minerva why she wanted to meet his former mistress and his other children, and Minerva retorts that it was one of those “things a woman does” (92). Suddenly, Minerva feels her “woman’s eyes” open up, and on the way home she notices attractive men everywhere.

(Discovery Day Dance: October 12)

On the day of Trujillo’s party, the family is an hour late as they get lost and Jaimito (who happens to be driving) does not want to ask for directions. Everyone is afraid that their lateness will be noticed and make Trujillo angry. It is raining hard and Minerva has a theory that the old Mayan storm god always acts up around Discovery Day—the occasion for the party—which celebrates the conquistador Columbus.

When the family finally reaches the party, they are greeted by Manuel de Moya, Trujillo’s “secretary of state,” whose real job is finding pretty girls for El Jefe. Luckily, Trujillo is late as well, so the Mirabals are escorted inside without incident. Everyone sits down, but Manuel tells Minerva that she has been invited to sit at El Jefe’s table. Dedé silently reminds Minerva not to drink anything that is offered to her, as there have been stories of young women being drugged and then raped by Trujillo. Minerva raises her glass defiantly, however, and toasts Trujillo when he finally arrives.

When Trujillo arrives, he receives a new medal from the Spanish ambassador, which reminds Minerva of a rumor that is circulating about him. According to the rumor, as a child, El Jefe put bottle caps across his chest and pretended they were medals, which is why he is now called Chapita. Everyone finally sits down to eat, and Minerva is surprised to find that Trujillo does not sit next to her. When Minerva stoops under the table to pick up her napkin, she sees that Trujillo is fondling a senator’s wife’s leg.

After dinner, there is dancing, and Minerva feels a bit disappointed that Trujillo does not invite her to be his partner for the first dance. She reminds herself of Lío’s warning, that “this regime is seductive” (96). Manuel de Moya does invite her to dance, and though she refuses a few times, she finally accepts.

Don Manuel is a good dancer, and Minerva finds herself having fun, but then she is led over to Trujillo. He takes her hand and Minerva becomes very nervous. When they start to dance, Trujillo tries to flirt with her. Minerva talks back, feeling “a dangerous sense of my own power growing” (98). She mentions her desire to go to law school, and Trujillo says offhandedly, “A woman like you, a lawyer?” (98). Minerva flatters Trujillo, knowing she must play along, but when he tries to push himself on her further, she says that she is not interested in admirers until she has her law degree.

Trujillo becomes angry and responds that women do not belong at the university these days, as it is full of communists and agitators. Annoyed, Minerva accidentally lets Virgilio’s name slip, and Trujillo becomes suspicious. Minerva lies and says that she does not know Virgilio personally. She feels ashamed for being afraid and lying about this one little thing, and sees how this slight mistake could lead to compromising on bigger things.

Trujillo eventually resumes his flirtation and starts pulling Minerva towards him aggressively. He thrusts himself at her “in a vulgar way,” and Minerva slaps him. At that very moment, it begins to rain and everyone at the party becomes distracted by the weather. Few people seem to have seen the slap, and Trujillo actually smirks at Minerva. It is decided that the party should be moved indoors, and in the chaos, Jaimito and Pedrito decide to take the opportunity to leave, especially now that Trujillo’s intentions for Minerva are clear to all of them. They decide that their excuse will be that the rain is too bad. As they leave, Minerva realizes that she has left her purse behind, and then, too late, she remembers that Virgilio’s letters are sewn into the lining.

(Rainy Spell)

The next morning it is still raining hard. A government official shows up at the Mirabal house and reminds the family that leaving a gathering before Trujillo is against the law. Worried, Papá immediately goes to send a telegram of apology to Trujillo. When he returns he looks distraught, but will not say why.

The next morning, two guards drive up to the house and demand that Papá and Minerva accompany them. They take the family to the governor’s palace, where the governor informs Papá that he will be taken in for questioning. Papá looks terrified, and bids farewell to his family, telling Minerva about a “business transaction” he needs her to uphold, which is code for sending money to his other family. After Papá is taken away, the governor informs Minerva that there is a way she can help her father.

In the next scene, Mamá is angrily condemning the governor’s proposition. Minerva drops her upset mother off at home and then goes to see Papá’s mistress. She finds the oldest girl, Margarita, in the street, and learns that she is illiterate. Minerva then makes the mother, Carmen, promise to enroll her daughters in school, which she happily agrees to. Minerva wonders if she should tell Carmen about Papá, but decides not to. She hugs Carmen, and then leaves.

Later, Minerva and Mamá drive to the capital to make an appeal on Papá’s behalf. They discover that there has been no official charge laid against him and that he is not registered anywhere. Though they imagined they would just get him and return home, instead, they book a room for a week. The next day, Minerva waits in various offices of the National Police Headquarters for word on Papá. She ends up having to report his “disappearance.” While waiting to talk to an official, Minerva helps the old man in front of her in line, who has thirteen sons, all with the same name, to make it harder for the regime to pin a crime on one of them. By the time it is Minerva’s turn, however, the office closes. The official flirts with Minerva, but tells her that she must come back tomorrow.

The next morning, armed guards wake Minerva up and take her away for questioning. She is returned to Police Headquarters, to a room she had not seen the previous day. She is met by General Federico Fiallo and a one-eyed, “toad-like” man, named Don Anselmo Paulino, who is nicknamed “Magic Eye.” He is Trujillo’s right-hand man in “security” work, though everyone knows his real job is to torture people.

Though the general speaks kindly to Minerva, he eventually brings out Lío’s letters, which were found hidden in her purse. Minerva admits that she knows Lío, and Magic Eye accuses her of lying to Trujillo. Minerva apologizes for lying, but says that she did not want to anger Trujillo, which the general respects. She swears that she is not currently communicating with Lío. Magic Eye seems satisfied with her statement and leaves.

Manuel de Moya then enters and makes small talk with the general and Minerva. He repeats the governor’s offer that Minerva could “end all this nonsense” (111) with a “private conference with El Jefe” (111). Minerva admits that she would rather jump out of the window. Manuel de Moya looks exasperated and the general says that Minerva is just as complicated as El Jefe is.

After this meeting, Mamá and Minerva are confined to the hotel. Though it is unofficial, they are placed under house arrest. Three weeks later, they manage to get an appointment with Trujillo. Just before the appointment, Papá is released from prison and the prison hospital; he had a heart attack soon after he was arrested. Minerva notes how thin Papá looks, and that he seems disturbed, rambling strangely about the past.

The family attends their meeting with Trujillo. When they enter, he does not even look up. On his desk is a set of scales, with dice in each tray. Manuel reads aloud the letter of apology signed by the Mirabal family, and Trujillo mentions Chiche Reyes, who is Mamá’s uncle and a friend of Trujillo’s. Mamá “butters” Trujillo up by saying that Chiche always speaks highly of him. Trujillo then picks up his dice and says that Chiche made them for him out of a piece of Columbus’s bone, which he stole.

Trujillo requests that Minerva check in every week with the governor, and though Minerva agrees, she also reminds Trujillo of her desire to attend law school. Trujillo suggests that they toss the dice and bet his own desire against Minerva’s. Minerva agrees, as she has observed that the dice are loaded. She rolls a double, but Trujillo does as well. Minerva agrees to call it even: neither of them will get their wish. Trujillo finally dismisses the family, and Minerva, perhaps naively, imagines the scales holding her own will, evenly balanced against Trujillo’s.

It starts raining again as the family finally leaves the capital. Dedé and Jaimito have been trying to start a new restaurant business, as their ice cream shop has failed, and so they stay on in the capital, but the rest of the family drives home. Everywhere on the island, there is a torrential downpour. Driving home, Minerva feels fatalistic, like “something has started none of us can stop” (116).