In the Time of the Butterflies

Connections

Connection 1:
            Yoo Kwan-soon was born on December 16th, 1902 and died on September 28th, 1920. She is one of the best-known Korean freedom fighters. During the Japanese colonial era, she led many of the independence movements including the March First Proclamation of Korean Independence, one of the biggest independence movements in Korean history during the occupation. The series of independence movements she led did not encourage violence on principle and were not in fact violent. Following Korean tradition and using the Korean language were prohibited during the colonial period. The occupied Korean population was required to change to Japanese names, and the indigenous population was discriminated against by the governing Japanese population living in Korea for many of the available jobs, advancements, and merely in everyday life. She went against this by teaching Korean, keeping her Korean name, having secret meets with other freedom fighters, and distributing Korean national flags. Her effort toward independence awakened others’ revolutionary attempts. However, she was captured and tortured. She eventually died at the age of eighteen. Yoo Kwan-soon is acknowledged as one of the most remembered women in Korean history and also was considered for memorializing on one of the new Korean currency notes. She is analogous to Minerva, who fought against Trujillo’s dictatorial government.

Connection 2:                
           According to In the Time of the Butterflies, Trujillo has several girlfriends other than his real wife. One of the girlfriends, for example, is Linda Lovaton. Whenever Trujillo finds attractive, beautiful, and young girls, he tries to win one’s love by sending presents, visiting often, and caring for the one’s friends as well. Linda decides to be his official girl friend and goes to her private house prepared by Trujillo. However, Trujillo becomes interested in other young, beautiful girls when she starts to love him in return. In contrast to Trujillo, other dictators like Stalin and Hitler only loved one person. Hitler loved Eva Anna Paula Braun. Hitler hired her as his private secretary even though he loved her. He married to her on April 29th but committed suicide on the day after their marriage because of the coming collapse of his rule and Nazi Germany. Also, Stalin loved one woman, too, Ekaterina Svanidze. She died soon because of eruptive typhus, and Stalin felt extreme grief for her death. Unlike their autocratic public personalities, many such dictators as Stalin and Hitler did not have other love interests. Their character in their love contrasts with Trujillo’s.

Connection #3
In The Time of The Butterflies, all the Mirabal sisters get married at a fairly young age. This is like other countries around the world. Even in Korea, many young people got married at the age of 15-17 around the same time period.