In the time of the butterflies
Chapter 10

1. Who is holding the family, or what's left of it, together at this point? How can the reader
know?
2. What does the conversation on page 204 between Partia and Pena suggest about how Pena
views women? How can the reader know?
3. Why does Minou call the candy that Pena brings "bad candy?"
4. Why were there prostitutes at mass trying to receive communion on page 207? What was
their real purpose, and how can the reader know?
5. What is the symbolism behind the placement of the contents of latrines in the church
confessional on page 208, and how can the reader know?
6. On page 210, Patria says, "It was ingenious and finally, I saw, all wise. He was going to work
several revolutions at one time. One of them would have to do with my pride." What revolutions
does Patria refer to, and how can the reader know?
7. On page 213, what does the fact that Margarita hands Patria a bottle of the brand of aspirin
she always uses tell the reader about Margarita's powers of observation and prior knowledge of
her "other" family?
8. On pages 214 and 215, what does the background information about Don Bernardo tell the
reader about El Jefe's views on race, and why?
9. On page 215, what Literary Device is exemplified by the phrase, "A visit to the lion's den, I
see."?
10. On page 217, Patria says of Pena, "The devil I was so used to seeing disappeared, and for
a moment, like his tilting prism, I saw an overgrown fat boy, ashamed of himself for kicking the
cat and pulling the wings off butterflies." What is the symbolism behind this image, and how can
the reader know?
11. What is the effect of the repetition of the phrase, "And on the third day He rose again..."?
Does this constitute a Motif? How can the reader know?
12. What effect is the allusion to Calvary intended to have on the reader on page 223?
13. Why did the journalists choose to portray Patria as a grateful mother and Noris as a young
offender in the media campaign? How can the reader know?