Butterfly Time“Life is what you make of it: you can go through it and let things pass, or a person can go out and get what they want in this life. These are common words burned into my head repeatedly by my father, as perhaps the same ones in those of one of your parents. In the Time of Butterflies is a book about sisters who fight for their God-given right to freedom in the Dominican Republic. To gain this freedom, the Mirabal sisters had to give up their security, their childhood and their lives. Julia Alvarez, the author of the book, takes readers through the journey of these sisters in their fight against their dictator Trujillo and the many difficulties experienced under this political oppression. It is evident in the book that some sisters were to be the leaders of the group and others the followers. Mirabel's sister who is believed to be the leader and the strongest is Minerva. Minerva, while strong-willed, is still not as strong as she would like to believe. Minerva is the individual who always makes sure to be seen as strong; however, in reality, this force and this desired image are only a deception of itself. Many heroes, courageous leaders, and courageous characters in stories have never exploited health problems or other character flaws. However, Minerva is shown in the book as still having health problems. She is always described as being sick, weak and in need of rest. Another flaw in her character exploited in this book is that she is captured and thrown into prison. Once in prison, she collapses – losing control of herself and ultimately losing the drive she once had. These exploitations in the novel show that Minerva can be broken down and make Minerva a more average human being, rather than a daring hero like everyone would like to believe. “I was hurt that he didn’t even say goodbye… Mom, of course. , I noticed the tightening of my face. My bad headaches and asthma attacks always worried him. “You need to rest,” she ordered me one afternoon and sent me to sleep in Dad’s room, the coolest in the house. » (Alvarez 87). As we can see here, Minerva is exhausted and needs to rest. We can also observe how her mother must always worry about Minerva's health..