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The Eraser
Butterflies and flight symbolize freedom and hope for the future. “The Butterflies” are the three sisters who started the resistance movement against the Dominican dictator El Jefe. They were murdered for this, and their legacy becomes a symbol of hope for Papi, inspiring him to become a leader in the resistance movement himself. Flying animals like butterflies and birds are well-known symbols of freedom—and in this context, the three Butterflies made it seem like freedom was something worth hoping and fighting for.
Meanwhile, throughout the novel, both Chucha and Papi tell Anita to be prepared to fly—that is, to flee the Dominican Republic. While this is terrifying for Anita, who doesn’t want to leave her family, Chucha and Papi recognize that Anita and the rest of the family will probably need to leave the country in order to find freedom. And indeed, Anita and Mami are eventually airlifted out of the Dominican Republic after Papi assassinates El Jefe and is executed as a result. In this sense, butterflies represent the abstract ideals that the sisters inspired the resistance to fight for, while flight represents a more pragmatic and practical way of achieving freedom.
At the end of the novel, having fled the Dominican Republic, Anita and Mami are living with their extended family in New York City. On Thanksgiving, Anita looks out the window at the snow angels that she and her cousins made and notices that they look a lot like butterflies. She interprets this as a sign from Papi, and she promises him that she’ll try to be free. Anita has literally flown away from the Dominican Republic and has begun to build a life in New York, but the butterfly-shaped figure in the snow symbolizes the freedom that Anita still must seize: the freedom to make herself happy and leave the demons from her previous life behind.
Butterflies and Flight Quotes in Before We Were Free
The Before We Were Free quotes below all refer to the symbol of Butterflies and Flight. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter Four
Quotes
“One last big favor to ask you, mi amor. No more writing in your diary for the time being.
“That’s so unfair!” Mami gave me the diary for Christmas. Telling me not to write in it is like taking away my only present.
“I know it is, Anita.” Mami wipes away my tears with her thumbs. “For now, we have to be like the little worm in the cocoon of the butterfly. All closed up and secret until the day...” She spreads her arms as if they were wings.
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Chapter Six
Quotes
I admit I feel mean participating in this scheme—but I also understand that our lives are in danger. A tip from Lorena could wipe us out. It’s so unfair to have to live in a country where you have to do stuff you feel bad about in order to save your life. It’s like Papi and Tío Toni planning to assassinate Mr. Smith when they know that murder is wrong. But what if your leader is evil and rapes young girls and kills loads of innocent people and makes your country a place where not even butterflies are safe?
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Chapter Eleven
Quotes
I guess I finally understand what [Chucha] and Papi meant by wanting me to fly. It was like the metaphors Mrs. Brown was always talking about. To be free inside, like an uncaged bird. Then nothing, not even a dictatorship, can take away your liberty.
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But now that Papi is dead, it doesn’t seem so scary to die. Sometimes, I think it’s scarier to be alive, especially when you feel that you’ll never be as happy and carefree as when you were a little kid. But I keep remembering Chucha’s dream. She saw us sprouting wings, flying up and away. It has to mean more than our coming to the United States. After all, as Chucha herself would say, what good is it to escape captivity only to be imprisoned in your own misery?
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What I see as I look down aren’t angels but butterflies, the arm swings connecting to the leg swings like a pair of wings, our heads poking out in between! I’m sure if Chucha were here, she would say they are a sign. Four butterflies from Papi, reminding me to fly.
I close my eyes, but instead of making a wish, I think about Papi and Tío Toni and their friends who died to make us all free. The emptiness inside starts filling with a strong love and a brave pride.
Okay, Papi, I say, I promise I’ll try.
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Get the entire Before We Were Free LitChart as a printable PDF.
Butterflies and Flight Symbol Timeline in Before We Were Free
The timeline below shows where the symbol Butterflies and Flight appears in Before We Were Free. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter One
...into the room, frightening Lucinda—she thinks it’s a bat. Mundín, however, says it’s a black butterfly. According to Chucha, black moths are death omens, so the family stops and watches it...
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Chapter Two
...into the living room when the phone rings one night. She hears something about “some butterflies in a car accident” and asks about it. Papi is tense, but he explains that...
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Chapter Three
...things happened to other people, like raids, arrests, and accidents. Anita mentions “some accident with butterflies,” but Lucinda corrects that it’s the Butterflies—and their death wasn’t an accident. Anita is suddenly...
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Chapter Four
...go say goodbye. Anita catches bits of the adults’ conversation—which includes mentions of tennis shoes, Butterflies, and a CIA intervention—but Mrs. Farland sends Anita to play with Joey. Anita knows how...
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...be careful—things will happen soon, and Anita won’t find protection except in “dark hiding places, wings, and prayers.” Sam can’t understand Chucha’s mix of Spanish and Haitian words, so Anita tells...
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...the caterpillar in its cocoon. They have to be secret until they can spread their wings. Anita agrees and erases her diary.
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Chapter Five
...Sam. As Toni bids everyone goodnight, he hugs Lucinda and Anita and tells his “two butterflies” to take care of each other.
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Chapter Six
...all flew away. When Anita asked about Papi, Chucha said, “Not everyone can be a butterfly.”
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Chapter Seven
...or brave, so he assures Anita she is. He tells her to be free and fly. This is scary, since Papi sounds like Chucha. Mami pokes her head in and suggests...
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Chapter Eight
Once El Jefe passes, Anita stands at the window and watches the daily flight leaving for the U.S. It’s the flight that Anita’s family members, Sam, and Mrs. Washburn...
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...beds. As they stand around Mundín’s bed, Chucha whispers for Anita to get ready to fly free. At that moment, they hear cars honking outside. The men rush in with guns...
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Chapter Nine
...comes in, packs a bag, and tosses Anita’s diary in. Then, she tells Anita to fly free.
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Anita’s Diary
...day, it lives in Tía Mari’s fur coat. When Anita writes, she feels like she’s flying. The next day, Anita feels sad. It’s been more than a month since she saw...
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...But his brothers got involved and people started to disappear. Then, they heard about the Butterflies, who organized the movement. Papi watched his brothers join but he was afraid to risk...
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...her to pass on a message: that Anita needs to “get ready to use [her] wings again.” She gave Mari a holy card of San Miguel to give to Anita. Anita...
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Chapter Ten
...misses and writes out Chucha’s sayings. Anita thinks she can hear Chucha telling her to fly free, but she doesn’t know how to be free without Papi. Sister Mary Joseph tells...
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Chapter Eleven
...he ran into Chucha at Wimpy’s. She asked him to tell Anita to remember her wings. Now, Anita understands what Chucha and Papi meant. It’s a metaphor—they want Anita to be...
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...was as a little kid. But Anita keeps thinking of Chucha’s dream of the family flying. Hopefully this means the family will escape their misery, not just the dictator.
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...angels, which are illuminated by the outdoor light. But when Anita looks down she sees butterflies, not angels. If Chucha were here, she’d think it was a sign. Anita closes her...
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