In the Time of the Butterflies: Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis

Patria is crazy with grief when she first comes to Mamá’s after losing everything, but soon she finds herself able to bear her “cross.” She keeps repeating a hopeful verse from the Bible: “And on the third day He rose again.” But instead of “rising again,” after three days the SIM come for Mate. It will be three months before Patria sees her sisters, husband, or son.

Patria slowly recovers from her grief, but sometimes she breaks down and screams “I’ve been good!” at the sky until Dedé comes and prays with her. It is strange living in Mamá’s new house, as everything is the same but all rearranged. In the hallway she has the required portrait of Trujillo, but now it is a picture of El Jefe in his old age, looking fatter and worn out from doing “all the bad things in life.”

Patria is still used to having the picture of Jesus next to the portrait of Trujillo, so sometimes she accidentally says a prayer to El Jefe as she passes. Soon she starts to do this on purpose – she wants something from Trujillo (her family’s safety), and the only way she knows how to ask is through prayer. She also hopes that if she treats El Jefe like a worthy person, he might start acting nicer. Patria even sets up some flowers under the portrait. She prays to him for her family’s safety, and offers herself as a “sacrificial lamb” in their stead.

Patria prays to the real God too, but she notes that she doesn’t offer herself as a sacrifice to him – only to Trujillo. She knows what El Jefe wants from women, but she is afraid of what God might ask of her. She has children, and she doesn’t want to die yet.

Captain Peña visits the house regularly, and sometimes he brings candy for the children. Once he tells Patria that Pedrito was offered his freedom if he would divorce his Mirabal wife and pledge his support to Trujillo. Pedrito refused. Peña laughs at Patria’s distress and then leaves. Minou buries the candy he gave them as “bad candy.”

That is the only news the family gets, until one day the girls, the men, and Nelson appear in the newspaper on a list of 372 detained prisoners. This is a relief, as at least they haven’t been “disappeared.” Patria goes out and cuts new flowers to put under Trujillo’s portrait.

One Sunday the family goes to church and the new priest (Padre de Jesús has been arrested) condemns the Trujillo regime from the pulpit, saying that it is a sin against God to take away human rights. Patria is inspired and moved, and she finally offers herself to God as a “sacrificial lamb” in exchange for Nelson’s life.

After that the SIM starts bothering the church, sending spies to attend services. Patria learns that this is happening all over the country, as the Catholic leaders have finally decided to speak out against Trujillo. Someone tries to assassinate the archbishop, and at Patria’s church some SIM-paid prostitutes come in and act out obscenely. The next Sunday someone empties the latrines into the confessional. Noris stays to clean up, and Patria sees that her daughter has finally grown religious in these trying times.

One day Patria gets a surprise visit from Margarita, her illegitimate half-sister. Patria is wary of her, but Margarita brings her a note from Mate in prison. She says that her cousin works in the prison and delivered it for Mate. Mate requests some medicine, food, and news of the children. Margarita then introduces herself, and Patria realizes that she works at the pharmacy Patria always goes to. Patria sees that God is working “several revolutions at the same time,” and one of them has to do with humbling Patria’s pride.

That night Patria, Mamá, and Dedé assemble a care package for the girls. After Mamá goes to bed, Patria talks to Dedé about Margarita. She asks how Dedé is doing, and Dedé says that things are better with Jaimito. Suddenly she starts crying, and vaguely says that she might have been happier with someone else.

The house is constantly surrounded by spies, who are supposed to be secret but constantly leave traces of their existence or cough next to the window. Mamá leaves out a trashcan and ashtray so they stop littering in her yard. One night she dumps dirty bathwater on their heads from the window. The spies are supposed to be secret, so they can’t complain. After that they keep a more respectful distance from the house.

Patria goes to Margarita’s pharmacy and delivers the care package for the prisoners. The next week Mamá and Dedé drive by the prison and see a towel they sent to Mate hanging in a window. That same day there is news of some minors and women being pardoned, and everyone feels hopeful about the sisters and Nelson. There is also news that Peña is the new owner of Pedrito’s family land. Mamá starts to accuse him of stealing, but then cuts herself off, as they fear their house is bugged.

The next day Patria dresses up and goes to her elderly neighbor’s house – he is a Spaniard named Don Bernardo, who was brought over as part of Trujillo’s campaign to “whiten the race.” He is the only neighbor who doesn’t actively avoid the Mirabals now that they are in trouble with the government. Patria asks him for a ride to Peña’s office in the capital, and Don Bernardo agrees.

They reach the capital and Peña lets Patria in immediately. Patria starts crying and asks Peña for help in getting Nelson pardoned. Peña tries to say the matter is out of his hands, and Patria prays to “soften his devil’s heart,” reminding herself that even Peña is a child of God. Peña finally makes a call and passes on Patria’s request. As he talks Patria watches his face, and seems to see the “devil” fall away and the childish, ashamed bully emerge underneath. When he is done Patria thanks him. She says that she has nothing to repay him with, and in this way confirms that she knows he took her land.

Weeks pass, and the regime starts a war against the church as condemnations of Trujillo keep issuing from the pulpit. Patria keeps praying to the portrait of Trujillo, warning him about fighting against God, as soon he will be dead and in a place where “you don’t make the rules.” There is no news about Nelson, but they get a few more notes from Mate.

One day Peña comes to visit, and Patria recognizes that he is making a peace offering, as he has been having trouble with her land. Mamá locks herself and the children in her room to avoid him, but Patria recognizes that Peña is both “angel and devil, like the rest of us.” Patria flatters him, and he gives her three passes to visit the prisoners. He then hints that Nelson might be pardoned soon, and Patria starts to cry with joy. Peña says that the sisters were offered pardons as well, but they refused to take them. Patria promises to have Peña over for a meal when Nelson is released.

Mamá is overjoyed when she hears the news, but she refuses to have Peña eat a meal in her house. Finally she relents, but Patria knows that they will all cast various spells and say prayers over the “devil’s” stew. Mamá later comes up with a plan: she will invite all the unfriendly neighbors for dinner, knowing that they will refuse, as they want to avoid being seen with the Mirabals. They will then be embarrassed and afraid when they see Peña’s car and realize that they have refused to eat with a captain of SIM. Patria laughs and calls Mamá “la jefa of revenge.”

A few days later Peña calls and says that Patria should come to the capital and bring a sponsor on Nelson’s behalf. He asks about his dinner, and Mamá disparages him, but Patria tries to defend him as not so bad. She is worried about what will happen after Trujillo is dead – how the Dominicans will be able to forgive each other for what they allowed to happen.

Jaimito agrees to sponsor Nelson, and the family’s uncle who is friends with Trujillo comes along too. At the last minute Noris demands to come too. They get lost on the way to the capital, but eventually make it to the National Palace. Patria suddenly regrets bringing Noris along, worried that she will catch Trujillo’s eye. As she walks down the corridor, Patria feels like she is on the way to the Discovery Day Dance, and “nothing bad had happened yet.”

They come to a parlor full of journalists, and Trujillo enters. Patria expects to feel more sympathetic towards him after months of praying to his portrait, but instead he seems more evil than ever. She wonders if he is the devil incarnate, as Jesus was God incarnate. Trujillo sits down and lectures the prisoners’ families. He interrupts himself to flirt with Noris when he sees her.

Finally the prisoners enter, and Patria falls to her knees when she sees Nelson, who is bruised and skinny. Patria thanks God for delivering her son, but is reminded of what she promised God in return. In the paper the next day the front page is a picture of Noris giving her hand to Trujillo, with the headline “Young Offender Softens El Jefe’s Heart.”