In the Time of the Butterflies (150-200)

Summary: Patria is back at the family's conuco for New Years and she is afraid for her sisters and her son. Patria's son Nelson, begins to talk about joining the liberators and Patria tries to seek help from Padre de Jesus Lopez. However, the Padre himself does not know how to help her. Nelson tells Patria that the revolutionaries are expecting an invasion by the liberators from Cuba. Trujillo has heard rumors of the invasion and has declared  a state of emergency. On June 14, the mountainside is bombed, 49 men and boys died. Patria decides to start a group called Accion Clero Cultural (ACC). Pedrito becomes upset that revolutionaries begin to meet in the backyard of their house, since Trujillo has passed a new law. The new law stated that any land could be confiscated for people housing enemies. Patria then tells him their son is involved in it too.
          Dede gets a visit from her sisters, in which she decides to escape with them for a meeting. Before she leaves, she wanted to talk to Padre de Jesus Lopez, but as she sees him pull in she notices some boxes that show he is part of the revolutionaries. She is scared to talk him then because he might convince her to join, and she does not want to go agains Jaimito's word her husband. Jaimito does not want Dede to go. Dede then finds Jaimito and her sons at her mother in law's house and she is suggested that they go on a honeymoon to release any tension going on in their marriage. However, the honeymoon just turns in to a boring vacation for them both. After Dede does not go, she hears that Nelson, Pedrito, Manolo, and Minerva had been arrested, once their home was ransacked. Patria comes back looking terrible, and it's up to Dede to save her sisters and reconstruct her marriage with Jaimito.

Quote: "Voz del pueblo, voz del cielo" (Alvarez 199).

Reaction: Besides the fact that the quote is in spanish, it is also a saying that is taken as an important fact of experience by many people. The quote means, voice of the people, voice of god. Dede says this to Minerva in a conversation they have about Trujillo, in which Dede tells Minerva that Trujillo is serious about killing her. Meaning that the popular opinion is always right, and that follows up into Minerva's death. Which also is inferred that certain rumors are true and people should take them into consideration.