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Minerva, the third sister in order of birth and the first to join the resistance, is driven from early childhood by a strong sense of justice, and a desire for independence. Her belief that everyone should strive for liberation is symbolized by her attempts to force a rabbit to leave its cage and her frustration when it will not go. Throughout the book, Minerva sees education as the means for women to attain freedom of thought and self-determination, both because of the knowledge it confers and because education allows them to see the injustices underlying ordinary life. She cites going away to school as how she became free. School is a stepping stone towards her dream of becoming a lawyer, and also where she meets Sinita and Lina Lovatón, whose examples show her the extent of Trujillo’s cruelty. Sinita’s decision to abandon the script when they perform for Trujillo and hold him at the point of her arrow, an allegory of Liberty identifying him as a threat to the nation rather than its protector, gives Minerva a fiery example of courage that inspires her transformation into a freedom fighter. Later in the novel, she gives this gift of freedom through education to other girls, enrolling her father’s illegitimate daughters in school. Margarita, the eldest, ultimately returns the gift by passing notes and packages from Patria to Minerva and Mate when they are held in prison, demonstrating how education and mutual support unite and uplift women.
