Julia Alvarez In the Time of the Butterflies Writing like a Butterfly
- This is a preview of the essay.
To view the full text you must login!
Writing like a Butterfly
Julia Alvarez is an exquisite storyteller. In her book, In the Time of the Butterflies, she skillfully weaves the story of the seemingly resilient, rebellious Maribal sisters and their resistance to the Dominican Republic's Dictator, Rafael Lenidas Trujillo. Alvarez is quoted saying the following statement: "A novel is not, after all, a historical document, but a way to travel through the human heart." She stays true to her writing style, even without a pen in hand. Alvarez is a free spirited writer who can write about anything and pick out the highlights and make a usually depressing and upsetting story, into something light hearted and inspiring, and her book, In the Time of the Butterflies, is a perfect example of her writing.
Not everyone would agree with the glorification of Alvarez's work. Critic Roberto Gonzlez Echevarra did not read In the Time of the Butterflies as a novel; but as historical fiction, therefore, he feels Alvarez's writing is not as strong as it could be. "But the actual history in In the Time of the Butterflies is very blurry. I find no connection between the specific dates Ms. Alvarez gives to mark periods in the Maribals' lives and either Dominican or broader Latin American history...