The butterfly soars through the sky at the top of the day while a moth does not come out until the bottom of the night. Although found at different times of day, both the butterfly and the moth rely on light, whether they live in it or pursue it. Light represents positivity and darkness represents negativity, therefore it is fitting to say that good and bad memories parallel different levels of light. As a person dies and enters the light like a butterfly, it leaves their loved ones in the dark like moths, hoping to reach the light some day. “Las mariposas,” the code for the Mirabal sisters in the Dominican Republic’s rebellion against the corrupt leader Trujillo, enter the light of Heaven and attract moths, which represent their relatives. In…show more content… Dedé lives in her old house to avoid the harsh reality of the revolution, so she can still have the favorable memories of when her sisters were there. Her memories allow her to cope with her grief as she says, “I stop in the dark depths of the garden … I see the house as I saw it once or twice as a child … the windows lighted up, glowing with lived life … a magic place of memory and desire. And quickly I head back, a moth attracted to that marvelous light” (Alvarez 319). The light reminds her of the good times before her sisters die and the attraction is her attempt to relive those moments. She demonstrates that the positive memories are important because they bring her back to the life she once had. Light can improve a bad situation; Dedé uses it to “distract her mind and fortify her spirit” (Alvarez 198). Even though it is normal to think of the negatives, memory is important because it will distract from the sorrow and emphasize the wonders of life. Good memories can strengthen the person and mend their
