Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire Henry James Gilchrist 10th Grade

In Julia Alvarez’s novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, the four Mirabal sisters are caught up in the political revolution of the Dominican Republic. The book focuses on how their lives are changed by this involvement, and the impact the sisters and the revolution have on the characters around them. Alvarez addresses multiple issues of race, class and gender, and how these factors affected the revolution. While Julia Alvarez tries to establish a view of these topics that avoids the biased social expectations of the time, she merely succeeds in placing new ones. Through lack of important details, violent or oppressive diction, and flat or static characterization, Julia Alvarez establishes the male gender role as one that expects low standards and immoral behavior from the men in a society.

Alvarez’s lack of defining details strengthens the establishment of male gender roles throughout the novel. The focus of the novel is on the Dominican Republic’s revolution, specifically the role of the Mirabal sisters, creating a unique focus and selection of details. Alvarez exchanges standard encounters for those that contribute to the purpose of conveying information about the revolution. The images given to the reader are those where...