Complications with Trujillo

In the first part of In the Time of the Butterflies Alvarez mentions menstation multiple times throughout it. I think she uses menstration as a way to talk about the impact the patriarchal Trujillo government has on the country and women. On page 15 Minerva treats learning about periods (referred to as complications) as a big secret to tell her friends. After she tells Sinita about this "secret" Sinita explains that she will tell her the secret of Trujillo (16). Getting your period is a big coming of age event for girls in many countries, however society has us trained to rarely talk about them because it's "gross" to talk about. The secret of Trujillo is treated the same way, people know it is happening but no one wants to talk about because they are afraid of what the consequences will be. I think Alvarez calling both of these a secret and having them brought up in the same conversation is her way of trying to tell the reader how impactful these events are on a person, especially women in this case. Another part of the book where periods and Trujillo are brought up together is on pages 19-20. After Sinita tells Minerva that Trujillo is going around killing people Minerva is up all night thinking about what she was just told and wakes up the next morning to find that she got her period and says that her "complication have started". One can take this moment in the text literally, that she got her period, but it can also be looked at deeper. She has been told to worship this dictator and told that he could do no wrong, but she just found out that he ordered that her best friends uncles and brother be killed. This is another "complication" she has to deal with because this news makes her question her ideals.

Why do you think Alvarez uses menstration when talking about the girls and Trujillo? Does she do this with other topics in the book?

She really seems to only use this connection in Minerva's chapter in part 1, why is that?