Jacob Sutton 808                                                                                                        CHARACTER              

 

Legend by Marie Lu

            I have just finished reading the book Legend by Marie Lou.  This book is mainly about two characters who alternate from chapter to chapter narrating this futuristic science fiction novel. It begins with June, a teenage girl who is wanted for unnamed crimes by the controlling government, the Republic and its’ police.   Neither group looking for her know anything about what she looks like as she has many disguises. On any given day, she might be wearing glasses and a mask or, as the media screen, the JumboTron shows her, June might have no hair at all. This demonstrates that June is a very sneaky and clever teenager. June, who is also the narrator, is aware of her pursuit as she comments, “At least twice a month, I see my Wanted poster flashed on JumboTrons scattered throughout downtown Los Angeles”.   As the Republic is unaware of June’s criminal activity, they sent her to the top University in the country because she had a perfect score on the entrance exam. June, who is very aware of her intelligence, is very snobby about school.  She is basically a celebrity in her school.  Everything she does is known by her classmates and members of the school.  Even though June gets in trouble a lot, teachers even like her.  While her criminal life is unknown to those around her, June continues to be a success in school. 

            Another character in Legend is a teenage boy named Day who comes from the poor sector called Lakes.  He is a “patriot” and is against The Republic which carries out unnecessary executions and does horrible things to the poorer people of Lakes.  He is working to stop them from continuing to do terrible things in the country.  He also works very hard to provide for his very poor family.  Even if he must resort to stealing, Day will do everything in his power to help his family and keep them safe. 

            Together, June and Day rebel against the Republic in very similar and dramatic ways.  They have no reason to cross paths until the day June’s beloved brother is murdered.  June, who is working for the republic at the time, finds out that her brother’s best friend, a soldier named Thomas, killed her brother by carrying out the command of the Republic.  At about the same time, Day finds out that Thomas is the same person who killed his mother (also by carrying out the command of the Republic).  They have no reason to cross paths until these main events in the story occur.  While June is fighting to avenge her brother’s death, Day is fighting for his family’s survival and for his mother.  Soon they are working together to stop the Republic from ruling in these ways. 

 

            The book Legend by Marie Lu is a book about courage and strength.  The characters of June and Day really make me think more about standing up for what I believe in.  They also taught me to ignore all the negative things people say about it and to never back down.  I enjoyed reading this book and I can’t wait to read the second one.   

 

Jacob Sutton 808                                                                                                        

In the Time of the Butterflies

            In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is the true story of the four Mirabal sisters during the horrible dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic from 1930-1961. In this historical fiction story, the sisters are outspoken opponents of Trujillo and his government and are doing everything they can to put an end to his vicious regime.  He is ruling his people in total fear.  The people that don’t vote for him or disagree with his point of view get killed.  This shows others not to disagree with him or they surely will be killed too.  In the process they are harassed, persecuted, and put in jail like so many others.  This is all while their family is being taken, one by one, by the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) under Trujillo’s command. He is doing this because he knows that the four sisters are trying to overthrow him and his regime and he is doing everything he can to try to stop them

            Told in a journalistic style, the voice changes from chapter to chapter, reflecting the point of view of each of the four sisters. The book starts with Dede.  Dede is the second Mirabal sister. In general, Dede is the more cautious sister and is not as certain about the revolution as her sisters are.  She has mixed feelings about joining the revolution, and in the end, does not join. Jaimito, her husband, doesn't want her being “killed” in the process. Dede doesn’t want to be killed either but she also, like many others, hates Trujillo and wants to help her sisters. Dede and Jaimito’s differences almost tear their marriage apart. She is always worrying about her sisters, telling them they'll be killed. Eventually her predictions come true. She has three boys, Enrique, Rafael, and David.

            Minerva is the third Mirabal sister. She is quite intent on law school as a young girl, and succeeds in completing her studies as an adult.  Trujillo denies Minerva her law license as revenge for her actions to overthrow the government.  She meets Manolo in law school and marries him. She has one daughter, Minou, and one son, Manolito.  In the story, while Minerva is in jail, she “preaches” to the other inmates that they should join the Trujillo sisters in rising up against the Trujillo government.   

            Patria, The oldest of the Mirabal sisters, is very religious. While looking for her calling from God, she gets married to Pedrito at age 16.  She takes the death of her third child as a punishment from God. She is keen on the revolution as well.  Patria has three children: Nelson, Noris, and Raul Ernesto.

            Maria Teresa, the youngest of the four Mirabal sisters is very creative and smart. She is married to Leandro who she met when he was delivering weapons to her sisters for use in the revolution. Maria Teresa has one daughter, Jacqueline. She joined the revolution because she wanted to feel worthy of Leandro. María Teresa matures into a strong revolutionary woman.