The critical nature of modern society makes those judged feel isolated, ashamed and useless. For this reason, contemporary individuals believe they must be perfect, in appearance and character traits, to conform to others. As a result, people spend enormous amounts of time developing certain traits to make themselves more likable. Unfortunately, vital information about the danger of possessing positive personality traits is missing. Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis, authors of The Boy with the Suitcase, and Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of Butterflies, investigate the transformation of positive character traits into tragic flaws through their main characters. In their novels the authors demonstrate that excessive devotion to noble personality traits leads to the downfall of the characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The main characters in both novels, the Mirabal sisters from The Time of Butterflies and Nina Borg from The Boy with the Suitcase, possessed noble intentions in carrying out their work. Furthermore, they were further encouraged to continue contributing to their causes through the support of other people. Maria Teresa, one of the Mirabal sisters, wrote in her diary about her feelings about the revolutionary movement in the Dominican Republic: “Something great and powerful spread its wings inside me. Courage, I said to myself. And this time I felt it” (Alvarez 238). In opposing the dictatorial regime of Rafael Trujillo, the Mirabal sisters were guided largely by their courage and desire to make a positive change in their lives. Similarly, Nina Borg from The Boy with the Suitcase was guided by righteous intentions when she attempted to return Mikas to his mother while saving him from Jucas; Nina “spends her free time helping all the kids and women and crippled little men that no one else in all of fucking Denmark seemed to care about” (Kaaberbøl and Friis 160). Being a Red Cross nurse and mother, Nina Borg felt it was her duty to save the child from the victim of child trafficking, which speaks volumes about the kindness of her character. Having such noble intentions, the main characters of the two novels were also supported by the people around them, which encouraged them to continue their work. The Mirabal sisters were encouraged by many people in the Dominican Republic. While the nuns were in prison "everyone was banging on the bars, shouting: ¡Viva la Mariposa!". (Alvarez 238). Certainly, the enormous support from other people motivated the nuns to continue their opposition to the Trujillo regime. Although Nina Borg did not have the same amount of supporters as her sisters, she still had some people who trusted her and helped her. As she told Nina to get her suitcase from the locker, her friend Karin noted, “I can't do that… But you [can]. You are always so enthusiastic about saving people” (Kaaberbøl and Friis 34). Through her words, Karin shows confidence in Nina's abilities and highlights Nina's desire to save people. In addition to Karin, Nina's colleagues show her respect and appreciate her contributions to the organization. In summary, the main characters of the two novels committed righteous actions thanks to their positive personality traits and the support they were receiving. At this point, it seems like the main characters dedicate themselves to their respective causes and become better people because of it. This, unfortunately, begins to change as the characters become more committed to their causes. GuidedFrom outside support and noble intentions, the main characters of the two novels became obsessed with their causes, which began the process of their destruction. Minerva, one of the Mirabal sisters, bequeathed her son ManolitoPatria so that he could focus on the revolution. When Minerva did this, Patria replied, "But Minerva, your daughter." Patria then saw that “it hurt [Minerva] to make this sacrifice that she was convinced she had to make” (Alvarez 155). Determined to remove Trujillo from power, Minerva chose revolution over her own family. Since Minerva has made painful sacrifices for the cause, her shift from loyalty to family to loyalty to the revolution represents an obsession. Similarly, Nina Borg's loyalty to her family has always been lower than her loyalty to helping other people in the Red Cross. After calling Morten, Nina realized that “it had been her turn [to pick up Anton from daycare], it must have been, and somehow she would have felt better, safer, if Morten had had an attack ... Morten had already forgotten he was there” (Kaaberbøl and Friis 70-71). Even before meeting Mikas, Nina often forgot to take care of her children, as evidenced by the lack of response from Morten, who was accustomed to her irresponsibility. She once left her five-month-old daughter with Morten while she traveled as a volunteer nurse in Liberia, all without telling him until she was at the airport. Being a nurse and helping other people began to replace other important things in Nina's life, like her family. Likewise, Minerva viewed many things in her life as distractions from the revolution. Before joining the revolution, María Theresa compared Minerva and Manolo's relationship to her own with Leandro in her diary: "I could never abandon Leandro to some higher ideal as I think Minerva and Manolo would surrender if they had to make the supreme sacrifice" ( Alvarez 147). Minerva's actions convinced Mate that the only thing on his mind was revolutionary struggle. Indeed, Minerva's marriage to Manolo can be seen as a revolutionary partnership because they spent most of their time participating in the movement. Comparably, Nina's marriage to Morten turned into a partnership as their relationship worsened. Nina's reckless behavior led Morten to look after the children alone while she was busy with her work with the Red Cross. In a way, Nina used Morten to fulfill her dreams and obsession. In summary, the noble causes of the Mirabal sisters and Nina Borg have replaced other aspects of their lives and made them dependent. Although their efforts were genuine and were caused by their positive personal qualities, their minds were clouded by their goals. The amount of time they spent contributing to their respective causes is directly related to the deterioration of their relationships with others. Not only did the actions of the main characters lead to their relationships with others degenerating, but they also led to their downfall in the case of the Mirabal sisters and almost became the downfall of Nina Borg. In Time of Butterflies, Patria and Mate soon follow Minerva in her revolutionary struggles against Trujillo. After Patria decided to join the revolution, she described herself: "...here in that little room was Patria Mercedes herself, who wouldn't hurt a butterfly, shouting, 'Amen to the revolution'" (Alvarez 163- 164). Minerva's concern for the revolution spread to the Homeland, making her almost as obsessed as Minerva was. Like the Mirabal sisters, Nina Borg lost her mind trying to find Mikas' mother. When Barbara is, 2012.