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The growth of Mate
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1
Mate is the youngest of the family--it's mentioned that she was teased by other girls for having a diary. While in school, she wonders about "having a soul" and little crushes.-- At the beginning, Mate was just a child. Her only issues were her shoes, crushes, and her little diary. She knew nothing of Trujillo, and was mildly religious. -
2
Minerva makes a remark about Trujillo, which upsets Mate. She has to give up her diary later on, due to the fact she wrote things down about Minerva's friend Hilda. At this point, Mate is still naive on Trujillo's ways. She still believe's he's a good man, despite what Minerva says about him, and feels as if she's wrong. Reality hits later on, however, when she needs to give up her precious diary for Hilda. -
3
Minerva is invited to a party held by Trujillo, with Mate wanting eagerly to come. Upon being declined, Minerva agrees to bring her back a souvenir. Mate is still innocent--- despite Minerva's constant disapproval of Trujillo, she still wants to attend his parties and even asks for a souvenir. -
4
Papá dies, and Mate beings having nightmares of her father in a coffin. Her diary includes a letter affirming the family's loyalty to Trujillo--she asks Fela to "put a spell on him". She has various romantic issues involving her cousins Berto and Raúl, a man named Justo, and another man named Armando--who she has a similar nightmare about. Mate's childish side still shows strong, from curses to more little crushes. -
5
Mate helps out Minerva at her home, and in the night she's delivered a secret supply of weapons from a man called Palomino. She volunteers to join Minerva and her husband in their fight against Trujillo. Mate, however strong and revolutionary she may be, joined the fight just to be with Palomino. She's maturing, gradually, but still has her childish ways. -
6
Mate and Palomino get married, having a baby named Jaqueline, and soon Mate is arrested after Minerva. She cries often due to her situation--even having a breakdown. Mate, in her strong-willed ways, has begun to crack under the revolution's pressure. She tries to be strong, but ends up crying out for her Mamá in prison. -
7
While in prison, Mate begins having stomach problems. She finds out that she's pregnant, and has lost the baby. The other women try to nurse her back to health with help from Minerva. However upset Mate is, she tries to be strong for the sake of the other girls. She may seem weak at this point, but her strength lies in her courage to be tough even still. -
8
Later on, Mate is taken to be interviewed by the OAS Peace Committee. She says everything is fine while showing them a written personal statement, which later leads her to being tortured by electrocution. In this portion, Mate's true anger shows. After losing a child, she still protests Trujillo, and even has to pay the price for it in front of her husband. -
9
Mate and Minerva are out of prison, and set under house arrest. Mate beings having the coffin nightmares again, but instead sees Leandro, Manolo, and Pedrito's faces in the coffin. Despite losing a child and being faced with torture, Mate and her sisters find new strength. Mate, however, is extremely shaken up from her experiences, as she had been suddenly introduced to such cruelty in contrast to her idealistic ways. -
10
After seeing the men in prison, the women are ambushed by Trujillo's men. They begin to suspect something way before they're attacked, causing Mate to have an asthma attack. The women and their driver are taken from their car, beaten to death, then staged to look like an accident. Even in the end, Mate exhibited her childish ways. They had stopped at a store beforehand, and she only asked for gum! Despite knowing the danger, the women traveled on, strong as ever.