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Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Key Examples in In the Time of the Butterflies
Chapter 2: Minerva, 1938, 1941, 1944
Explanation and Analysis—Trujillo is a Devil:
In Chapter 2, Trujillo is compared to a devil through metaphor, although Minerva's musings on the metaphor complicate one's conception of the dictator:
“Trujillo is a devil,” Sinita said as we tiptoed back to our beds.[...] But I was thinking, No, he is a man. And in spite of all I’d heard, I felt sorry for him. ¡Pobrecito! At night, he probably had nightmare after nightmare like I did, just thinking about what he’d done.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—China-Crack of Doubt:
In Chapter 2, Sinita explains to Minerva why she doesn't like Trujillo, and Alvarez uses both simile and metaphor when detailing Minerva's response:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"Trujillo was doing bad things?" It was as if I had just heard Jesus had slapped a baby or Our Blessed Mother had not conceived Him the immaculate conception way. “That can’t be true,” I said, but in my heart, I felt a china-crack of doubt.
Related Themes:
Chapter 4: Patria, 1946
Explanation and Analysis—An Empty House:
In Chapter 4, Patria uses a metaphor to describe how she feels after suffering from a miscarriage or a stillbirth (Alvarez doesn't specify in the narrative whether Patria had a miscarriage or stillbirth):
Unlock with LitCharts A+After I lost the baby, I felt a strange vacancy. I was an empty house with a sign in front, Se Vende, For Sale. Any vagrant thought could take me.
Related Themes:
