 The novel 's title is taken from the popular Dominican merengue <unk> al chivo ( " They <unk> the Goat " ) , which refers to Trujillo 's assassination on May 30 , 1961 . <unk> is a style of music created by <unk> <unk> in the 1920s and actively promoted by Trujillo himself ; it is now considered the country 's national music . Cultural critics Julie Sellers and Stephen <unk> comment about this particular merengue that , by <unk> the dictator as an animal who could be turned into a <unk> ( as frequently happened with goats struck down on the Dominican Republic 's highways ) , the song " gave those performing , listening to and dancing to this merengue a sense of control over him and over themselves that they had not experienced for over three decades . " Vargas Llosa quotes the lyrics to <unk> al chivo at the beginning of the novel . 
