Essay Questions

How does Priscilla Morris depict the complexities of war in Black Butterflies?

Before war erupted in Sarajevo in 1992, people lived in harmony regardless of religious affiliations, tribe or nationality. However, neighbors turned against each other during the war while scrambling to access the limited essential services to survive. Foreigners found themselves in a fix because no one wanted to help them. The other complexity of the war is that the people of Sarajevo woke up to find themselves in refugee camps. People who initially lived together as a family started hating each other.

What is the primary theme in Black Butterflies?

The main theme in the novel Black Butterflies is denial. Most people in the novel, including Zora, were reluctant to run to safety when they received signals of a possible war in Sarajevo. Zora's family relocated to England for safety, but Zora decided to stay in her country, hoping the war would not erupt. Similarly, Zora believed that the war would not last long. Zora continued to work in her country despite the looming danger of war. Some of Zora's neighbors were also in denial because they did not believe their country would become inhabitable. In her novel, Morris alludes to a similar element of denial witnessed in World War I when people adamantly refused to move to safety because they did not believe that war would destroy their lives.

What are the devastating effects of war?

The novel Black Butterflies vividly details the costs of war. Morris explores the impact of war in Sarajevo to paint a picture of what happens after a country finds itself in conflict. The siege of Sarajevo erupted in 1992, which sank the country into anarchy, political instability and the dire need for humanitarian aid. Initially, Sarajevans hoped the war would not persist. Unfortunately, the situation worsened when the war persisted for several months. Citizens were cut off from essential services such as water, electricity, food and medication. Zora and her neighbors feel the pinch of war after they wake up and find themselves as refugees in their country. Therefore, war is destructive because it destroys lives and property.