A third radio
After the dictator is assassinated, Anita and her mother are living in hiding at their cousins. They listen to the radio, waiting for news about the prisoners and hearing the terrors about Trujillo junior enacting vicious revenge on anyone who was involved in his father’s death. At this time, Anita uses her diary for comfort, and writes about her experiences in it. She describes it as a third radio, tuned into her heart.
A black moth of scaredness
After her father gets taken by the SIM, Anita and her mother are scared and worried what will happen to him and them as well. Anita describes the panic she feels as a big black moth of fear flapping around in her chest. The image of black moth appears throughout the novel, and it represents fear and oppression.
Worm in the cocoon of the butterfly
To make sure that Anita is silent about her uncle returning to the compound, her mother compares them and their need to be silent for the moment to the worms in the cocoon of the butterfly. The imagery of butterfly is present throughout the novel, and it represents resistance against the oppression.
A hand-me-down-human being
In the midst of the rising resistance against the oppression, with her family at the center of it, Anita is a normal young girl struggling with her sense of self, and self-discovery. She grows to dislike the mocking nicknames and the constant comparison to the members of her family, as she discovers her individuality. She describes feeling like a hand-me down-human being, with the constant comparing of her appearance to others in her family.
