Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Why is the book in three parts? What is the purpose of the epilogue and postscript?
- What is the effect of having all four sisters narrate different chapters?
- Minerva compares the entire nation to a cage; what does she mean by this?
- What are some of the ways that Trujillo consolidates his power? How does he manage to control everyone so completely?
- How does Patria's faith evolve over the course of the book? How does it contribute to her decision to join the movement?
- What if the novel were told from the perspective of the other four Mirabal girls (Carmen María's daughters)?
- Why is Dedé's life without her sisters a "martyrdom," as her husband calls it?
- If the Mirabals were four brothers instead of four sisters, do you think this novel would have been as popular?
- Why do you think the novelist inserts herself in the novel in the character of the interviewer?