Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Like Water for Chocolate

Like Water for Chocolate is a novel by Laura Esquivel, a Mexican screenwriter and novelist, written in 1989 (Puccinelli 209). The novel\'s protagonist is Tita, a young girl who is not supposed to get married due to her traditional beliefs. Still, she eventually marries her beloved Pedro, Rosaura\'s husband. Before this, Tita only expressed herself when she cooked because she was always longing to get married (Puccinelli 210). Esquivel uses magical realism in the story as a combination of the supernatural it ordinary in the novel. The book became more common and won the American Booksellers Book of the Year Award in 1994. Feminism is evident in the theme from several perspectives while some view it as the idea that both women and men deserve the same amount of respect, while others consider feminism as a notion that women should be superior to men. The novel is mainly set in De La Garza Kitchen during the Mexican Revolution (Chakraborty 422). There are stereotypical standards and roles that the society in the novel imposes on women, and it takes place during a period when women as they continue fighting to achieve gender equality. Esquivel contradicts the story\'s setting by presenting strong female figures, further leading the reader to question the preconceptions that had been previously held on the capabilities of omen. The text proves that the female gender stereotypes do not always represent passive feminity, but they could also assist in subverting the female social norms. There are some limitations of gender conformities that are embraced to transcend the female stereotypes.

The novel can be linked-to feminine traits, which suggests the existence of many relationships showing how a certain gender is discriminated against. Amy Kaminski conducts a study on feminist theory and its relationship with Latin American Literature. The existing historical context advocating for social change shows the distinct definitions of feminine and its distinct definitions within each of the characters created (Puccinelli 213). Each female character in the story faces different needs to have security and a sense of belonging. They also have challenges in their issues with liberation, sex, and adventure, and they hope that everything changes.

Tita fulfills distinct characteristics related to the pure vaginal architect, like obedience and chastity. She follows family traditions where she is forbidden from getting married and is expected to remain a virgin. She is the youngest, and instead of getting married, she should take care of her mother until she dies. Tita desires love and freedom, but she cannot have them due to these traditions. Tita shows the different ideas of being the perfect woman when taking her roles as a wife and mother. Despite being forbidden from marriage since she marries Pedro, Rosaura\'s husband. Tita is the caregiver to Pedro, Rosaura, her mother, and even her children, which shows that she is a mother figure. She also nurses Roberto, Rosaura, and Pedro\'s first child, which is a miraculous ability. Her character could be linked to the ideas of the Virgin Mary.

Nonetheless, she eventually eradicates the Virgin Mary\'s character and follows her desires and thoughts, considered rebellious (Chakraborty 420). Mama Elena forbids Tita from expressing her feelings, which affects her, and Tita results in cooking to get rid of the emotional distress. The people around her are positively affected by the food since it is very sweet, showing her other sweet side. Despite feeling powerless about the traditions,

Tita has to decide if she will stand up and fight for her desires or if she will continue remaining obedient (Chakraborty 426). After experiencing a nervous breakdown, she meets Pedro, which leads her to Dr. Brown\'s house, where she refuses to leave. While living there, she tries to get the courage to pursue Pedro, although he is Rosaura\'s husband. She chooses Pedro over John, whom she would have a proper life, and she becomes Pedro\'s mistress.

Tita\'s cooking could be described as cathartic, therapeutic, and pharmacological since it is so good that one would think magical forces are part of it. The food prepared tends to develop some reactive and affective properties. It creates an understanding of Tita\'s subjectivity (Chakraborty 417). The emotion of the cook is used to show how Tita eradicated her feelings, and to her, it was a form of healing. Matters affecting her union with the union are very phenomenal, and they form some intra-corporeal impacts.

Rosaura also represents a broken version of a wife and mother figure. She is Pedro\'s wife who aims to maintain that she is living a perfect life and never challenges the traditions and societal beliefs. Her mother marries her off to Pedro, and she accepts it without any rebellion; neither does she question her mother\'s action. Instead of finding her path, Rosaura accepts other people\'s choices for her. Tita, later on, got married to Pedro and Rosaura ended their friendship since she believed that Tita had betrayed her. She also loses Esperanza, with whom they were in a relationship, because of the traditions. Rosaura divorces Pedro after Tita is married as Pedro\'s wife (Chakraborty 420). Rosaura is miserable, and she eventually dies from chronic indigestion, which is symbolic to show her life\'s failures.

Mama Elena shows her character as a mother figure in its warped version. She feels more powerful when compared to Rosaura and has no warmth or affection towards anyone. She misuses her maternal role since she controls her children and abuses her servants. She is complex since she represents power and beliefs and defies the presence of patriarchy in society. Tita is embodied as the best example of motherhood, and Mama Elena is the opposite of this. She expects her daughters to stay chaste and obedient to the traditions, but she defines all beliefs on chastity and submission (Puccinelli 216). Esquivel uses her to create fear in people who come across her. Her history forbids her from being in love and infidel, and she is trying to impose this on her daughters, who eventually become rebellious.

In the novel, Gertrudis is also a feminine character, similar to Mama Elena in terms of their anti-feminine character. Gertrudis is rebellious, and she encourages her actions and encourages other women to be like her and not lead society to make decisions for them. She is more passionate as she eats Tita\'s food since she can feel that the food is made out of certain emotions. Gertrudis loves sexual adventures, and that is why she makes love with Juan Alejandrez after running away from home, and she goes to work in the brothel to quench her thirst. She is outspoken and never hides her sexual desires, which marks a great revolution for women in society. She is dominating, lives and fights among men, and is kind. Her kind nature is depicted when she does not abuse or talk rudely to Sergeant Trevino as he struggles to find her favorite dessert recipe (Puccinelli 216). Gertrudis also encourages Tita to self-acceptance and know that her desires are more vital than any traditions he is forced to follow. Gertrudis represents liberation and power in the novel since she is a source of hope and inspiration to others.