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Mercedes Reyes de Mirabal (Mamá) is a devoted Catholic woman who, at first, seems to have a very traditional view of women’s roles. Nevertheless, from the start of the novel, she has a strong presence and an independent mind. In Chapter One, she contradicts Papá, condemning his fortune-telling and encouraging him to allow their daughters to get an education. Despite her outspokenness, she still is subservient to Papá, explaining to Minerva that even when Papá agrees with her plans, he changes them somewhat to emphasize his role as head of the household. However, Mamá’s acceptance of patriarchy begins to dwindle when she learns of Papá’s affair with Carmen, as symbolized by the pilgrimage to Higüey to see the Virgin Mary, a matriarchal Catholic figure. We see her embrace her own strength in the way she accompanies Minerva to the capital when Papá is arrested, and later in her pleas to go with Minerva and Mate when they are arrested. She learns to read and write, eventually signing her own name on her prison letter to Minerva and Mate. This transformation is symbolized by her moving into a new house toward the end, a modern home that she runs both in name and fact.
