Although this is an era where violence is frowned upon and war deplored, the soldier nevertheless remains an esteemed figure. Even more appealing to the imagination are the stories of tyrants and the courage of the underground guerrillas who oppose them. This almost mythical status was conferred on three sisters, nicknamed the Butterflies, who participated in the fight against the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo for thirty years in the Dominican Republic. While heroic deeds are in the spotlight, we can forget that even freedom fighters start out as children. That they learn as children and grow as humans, in a fallible and fickle way, is a fact remembered by Dominican novelist Julia Alvarez. In Alvarez's novel In the Time of Butterflies, she uses several turning points in Minerva Mirabal's life to define this character's growth as a human being rather than a hero. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Alvarez uses two turning points from Minerva's childhood to show her potential for the life ahead of her, while emphasizing her innocence childish. At the beginning of the novel, Alvarez introduces Minerva to the reader with Minerva's enthusiasm that her father plans to send her to school. The school becomes Minerva's first victory and a step toward her life as a revolutionary fighter. This is how, says Minerva, “[t]his is how I became free” (13). Alvarez uses Minerva's departure for school and her enthusiasm for it to signify Minerva's early emotional divorce from her parents' need for approval and their dependence on their value system, while demonstrating with this scene how independent and strong-minded Minerva is, especially compared to her sisters. At school, Minerva experiences a prelude to what could be the biggest turning point of her life. For all her independence, she still believes the propaganda put out by Trujillo and his administration. Her good friend Sinita tells Minerva a story of Trujillo's evil as they whisper under the covers late at night like the schoolgirls they are. Minerva says to Sinita: "'Bad things?... Trujillo was doing bad things?' It was as if I had just heard that Jesus had slapped a baby” (17). Although Minerva does not fully accept the image of Trujillo as a tyrant, when she wakes up the next morning, she discovers that she has had her first period; Alvarez made her a woman. When Trujillo seduces a classmate named Lina, she realizes his corruption, although not with the maturity of an adult, saying, "I felt sorry for him. Pobrecito! At night he probably had nightmare after nightmare like me, just thinking about what he had done (24). Alvarez illustrates Minerva's childlike faith in a world where guilt accompanies sin, and to the point of arousing pity. Here, Alvarez places her in a position from which she can assume her new role as a rebel, while demonstrating that she is currently too young for such responsibility. As Minerva grows up, Alvarez uses Minerva's impulsiveness. to allow her to realize her own strength Minerva confronts Pap after discovering he fathered illegitimate children and "saw her own shoulders slump...at that moment it hit me." stronger than his slap: I was much stronger than Pap... He was the weakest of all” (89). Alvarez caused Minerva to discover her power through her own actions. in order to justify her portrayal of the character as drawing strength from herself.