outside reading post #2

"Coming down the mountain, I was a changed woman. I may have worn the same sweet face, but now I was carrying not just my child but the dead boy as well.                         My stillborn of thirteen years ago. My murdered son of a few hours ago I cried all the way down the mountain. I looked out the spider-webbed window of that bullet ridden carat brothers, sisters, sons daughters, one and all my human family. Then I tried looking up at our father, but I couldn’t see His Face for the dark smoke hiding the tops of those mountains. I made my self pray so I wouldn’t cry. But my prayers sounded more like I was trying to pick a fight. ‘I am not going to sit back and watch my babies die, Lord, even if that’s was You in Your great wisdom decide'" (162).     

This passage comes from an intense part of the book. Patrica, one of the Mirabal sisters, was in a church on a retreat when the building was bombed. Patrica survies the bombing but when she is evacuating the building she sees a young man get killed which is very traumatizing for her. The authors voice is easily seen in this passage. The character Patrica is very connected to god and the author’s tone portrays her opinion of God. In the scene the author portrays Patrica sad and in need of comfort. When she looks around the car she sees people she knows but when she looks towards the heavens she can only see smoke. After that she is determined to try to stop people from dying. The authors voice is implying how this very religious woman would forsake her beliefs to end the violence and to end the dictatorship so peace can be restored. This is the primary voice of the book and is illustrated by the passage above.      

This passage is also interesting because of its differences with other parts of the book. Because the perspective is always changing the authors voice is expressed in different ways under different perspectives.  For example when it is Maria Teresa’s perspective there is much more structure that shows the authors opinions of the dictator Trujillo and young love. Basically the author uses the 4 characters to express what she thinks using the mechanism of voice. It is clear when reading the book that the author values intuition, freedom rebellion to an oppressor and being brave.