Previous
Alliteration
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Chapter 7: María Teresa, 1953 to 1958
Explanation and Analysis—Mate, Minerva, and Martí:
Chapter 7 contains two back-to-back allusions to the poet José Martí, first one by Mate and then a retort made by Minerva:
And so it is of human life the goal / to seek, forever seek, the kindred soul. [...] May the limitations of love not cast a spell / On the serious ambitions of my mind.
José Martí was a Cuban poet and philosopher who worked actively to free Cuba from Spain. The fact that Mate and then Minerva allude to him is important considering the role of education in the story: the Mirabal sisters had to fight for their education, convincing their parents to send them off to school. Thus, the allusion illustrates Mate and Minerva's character development, as they are now educated women who are able to quote a Cuban nationalist hero in casual conversation. Indeed, the fact that they quote a Cuban nationalist is particularly significant: education aids revolution in creating a more informed populace, which is evidenced in part by Mate and Minerva alluding to José Martí in particular.
Moreover, each sister quotes a poem that reflects what they privilege and value above all else. Mate is seeking love and connection and, as such, quotes a poem stressing the importance of finding kindred spirits. Minerva, meanwhile, stresses the importance of education and intellectual pursuits above all else, both in life and in the poem she quotes. People contain multitudes, and the Mirabal sisters make time for both revolution and family, education and love. At the same time, however, they each value different things, although all but Dedé meet the same fate regardless.
Related Themes:
Chapter 8: Patria, 1959
Explanation and Analysis—Like Herod in Judea:
In Chapter 8, Patria describes why seminary is the safest place for her son with a simile and allusion to the Gospel of Matthew:
Johnny Abbes and his SIM were dragging young men off the streets, and farms, and from offices, like Herod the boy babies in all of Judea.
Patria is attempting to convince Pedrito that Nelson will be safer at seminary than he will be working on the farm with Pedrito. She compares Johnny Abbes (head of the SIM) and the SIM itself to Herod, who massacred all the male children under two years old in an effort to kill a young Jesus. The simile condemns the horrible acts of the SIM in unequivocal terms, comparing their treatment of young Dominican men to those who murdered innocent babies in an attempt to kill Jesus.
The biblical allusion is particularly apt considering that Patria wants to send Nelson to seminary. Patria's allusion is almost in itself a justification for why Nelson should be allowed to attend a seminary instead of working on the farms, although she does not frame it as such. In fact, while Alvarez clearly uses an allusion, she barely uses a simile. Johnny Abes and the SIM were in fact massacring innocent children and adults alike in a way that was very comparable to Herod in Judea, and Patria makes an apt comparison between the two.
Related Themes:
