The Power of Reflection: Self Inspiration and Empowerment
In Julia Alvarez’s novel In the Time of the Butterflies, she tells the heroic tale of four sisters who fight for the overthrow of Rafael Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic from 1930-1961 (8). A fictional novel based on a true story, Alvarez utilizes historical facts and events while filling in the missing pieces with a fictional story of the Mirabal sisters personal lives. Alvarez utilizes methods such as interior monologue and reflective journaling to allow the reader a glimpse into the minds of these heroines, making them feel an even stronger personal connection with the characters (3). Another important aspect of Alvarez’s use of reflective thought and journaling is the way that it presents the act of reflection. The use of reflection through interior monologues, journals, and even simply thinking aloud are a powerful force that empowers the Mirabal sisters to fight for freedom.
By applying a Psychoanalyltic lens to this text, it becomes very apparent that Alvarez utilized Freud’s concepts to help us understand the mental processes of the main characters. Through the use of journals and interior monologue, the reader has access to the sister’s id, ego, and superego, and can watch as they work through the process of turning their desires into reality (5). While each sister favors a different mode of reflection, they are all highly valuable insights into their inner thoughts and desires. If we didn’t have the journals, we wouldn’t have known about Minerva’s early schooling experience and her reactions to those events. If we didn’t have Maria Teresa’s “Little Book”, we wouldn’t have known how she felt about her feelings on growing up under Trujillo’s reign. Dede and Patria’s interior monologues took us through their inner struggles to conform or stand on their own, believe or doubt, and be victimized or fight for a better future.
This website was created in order to further expand on Alvarez’s characters and to provide a focus on the power the process of reflection had in the novel. By further expanding the modes of reflection Alvarez uses, the reader is better able to view the various stages of reflection the characters go through, and therefore follow the reflective processes more clearly. It also shows how they become empowered by their reflection, for according to psychological research, “The more people think about their attitude toward some issue, the stronger their attitude becomes” (2). This concept is clearly represented throughout the genres, especially so in Patria’s journal. You can watch as her character works through these changing ideals and soon holds them near and dear to her heart. She starts to reflect on her values and place in the world, and realizes that she wants more of herself. As proven through research, “simply being asked “Who am I?” can momentarily change who we are”, but Patria instead changes for a lifetime. (2).
This website was created in order to further expand on Alvarez’s characters and to provide a focus on the power the process of reflection had in the novel. By further expanding the modes of reflection Alvarez uses, the reader is better able to view the various stages of reflection the characters go through, and therefore follow the reflective processes more clearly. It also shows how they become empowered by their reflection, for according to psychological research, “The more people think about their attitude toward some issue, the stronger their attitude becomes” (2).
This concept is clearly represented throughout the genres, especially so in Patria’s journal. You can watch as her character works through these changing ideals and soon holds them near and dear to her heart. She starts to reflect on her values and place in the world, and realizes that she wants more of herself. As proven through research, “simply being asked “Who am I?” can momentarily change who we are”, but Patria instead changes for a lifetime (2). The journal also occasionally lets on to Patria’s deeper desires. It is meant to be influenced by her id, with comments her society may not appreciate; such as questioning the power of God and wishing to keep her sisters to herself instead of letting them ultimately save the country.
The poems show the struggle of the family’s reflections on how the real world they live in affects their daily lives. I created these poems to make the characters more real to the reader. They reflect on everyday things such as growing up, but also things like building bombs on the kitchen table. The poems take you through the deeper processes they would go through, worrying about their offspring as well as the future of their country. Because they are writing with the intent to show it to an audience, their deepest desires may remain unvoiced. They wish for the things that everyone wishes for, a safe place for their family, happiness, and a brighter future. These poems are representations of the family member’s ego, the space between their deepest desires and the need to please society as a whole.
The interview with Dede and Maria shows reflection in the sense of looking back on past events. It gives Dede’s character a chance to reflect on the past and how she felt about the situation. She is able to let the reader know how she felt then in comparison to how she feels about it now, and the process in which she partook in to come to her new vantage point. She can compare what she found socially acceptable at the time to what is socially acceptable now, and explain how life was different then for women in Latin America (6).
The articles, photos, and “cosas interestantes” show little reflective thought, but provided a jumping off point for many of the other genres. The articles were used to influence both the poems and Patria’s journal, and gave the reader a little more insight into the society that these women were competing with. The article about Castro influenced Maria Teresa’s poem and an entry in Patria’s journal, and the article about the sisters death influenced the interview with Dede and Maria. The list of supplies influenced Patria’s journal about building bombs at the kitchen table, and the drawing by Jacqueline influenced a journal entry by Maria Teresa. The slideshow of photos related to all of the genres while making the reader feel a more personal connection to the various characters, showing glimpses into the lives of the sisters.
Overall, I feel that this website provides ample evidence that by applying Freudian concepts to In the Time of the Butterflies, the reader is able to see the connections between the sisters processes of reflection and their gradual decision to put their country and their fellow countrymen before themselves. By reflecting on their values and hopes for the future as well as the atrocities and injustice from their past, the Miribal sisters were able to empower themselves and each other to change the world.
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