Tita manages to survive at first, but consciously allows her desire to be with Pedro to overtake her. Synthesis: In some ways, this is similar to Heathcliff's thoughts at the end of Wuthering Heights: "My old enemies have not beaten me; now would be the precise time to revenge myself on their representatives -- I could do it, and none could hinder me. But where is the use? I don't care for striking, I can't take the trouble to raise my hand." His desire for revenge consumed his life, making him a bitter and violent person. His desire was a negative one, and its fulfillment throughout his life wears himself out to the point that he cannot even reach its final culmination. This shows the reverse of the theme as it appears in Like Water for Chocolate; here, the desire is a positive one, and though its fulfillment is still destructive, this destruction is not seen as a necessarily bad thing.

Dialectic Journal #2

Quote: "I am like water for chocolate."

Paraphrase: Tita becomes so angry at Rosaura that she compares herself to water used for making hot chocolate, which is heated to just short of the boiling point many times before it is ready fro use. This relates to the way that she keeps a lid on her emotions, not revealing her passions. Eventually, though, her feelings become too much for her, causing a massive and bloody squabble amongst the chickens and even a tornado. Her passion has become to large for her to contain; she is not water that can endure such...

Many times, Tita's various feelings and passions -- her love of Pedro, her sexual desire, her hatred of Mama Elena -- are kept just short of revelation, the symbolic boiling point. When she compares herself to water used for making hot chocolate, Tita recognizes this aspect of her life, and seems to think she is able to contain things as well as water does. This proves false, however, in the many times her passions overflow into the food she is making and the world around her.
Synthesis: This quote somewhat mirror's Holden Caulfield's attitude about himself; he thinks of himself as an island capable of maintaining his disillusion with the world all on his own. Mr. Antolini tells him, however, that "Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior." Like Tita, Holden must come to the realization that he is not as fully self-sufficient as he believes, and that his passions and beliefs extend far beyond himself -- aren't even original, in fact. In this book, as in Wuthering Heights, the attribute is seen in more of a negative light, but the truth of the statement that appetites and passions are often larger than the people they occupy remains just as true.