Laura Esquivel's Intentions

Esquivel intends for the reader to learn about the importance of cooking, and how it has an immense effect on families and society. It is believed that food brings people together and this belief is extremely apparent in Like Water for Chocolate. Throughout the novel food is expressed in such a magical manor and is the main focus of the story. Esquivel tries to get the reader excited about he preparation of food, and the mouth-watering ingredients used within it. From Tita’s birth, she was completely obsessed with food, and learned to cook it with such mastery. Esquivel uses this obsession to again, show the importance of food in life. Through her food, Tita can channel her emotions and evoke the same feelings within the person who consumes her food. Whether those feelings are lust, anger, happiness, disgust, or love. Obviously, in reality one cannot channel one’s emotions into meals. Although, if someone is in a negative mood they may in turn cook something unappealing. Similarly, if someone cooks amazing food due to a joyous mood, the consumer would enjoy the meal and satisfy their appetite. Thus evoking happiness within that person. Instances similar to these appeared numerous times within the novel. For example, at the end of the story, when all the guests flee from the wedding to make love, due to their consumption of Tita’s intensely lustful rose petal sauce. Or when “ ‘ Tita remembered that Nacha had always said that when people argue while preparing tamales, the tamales won’t get cooked. They can be heated day after day and still stay raw, because the tamales are angry. In a case like that, you have to sing to them, which makes them happy; then they’ll cook ‘ “. (218) Through these miraculous situations, Esquivel shows the reader the power of food, and “the secrets of love and life revealed by the kitchen”. (216)

The Ending of the Novel

In the end of Like Water for Chocolate, Rosaura dies from her stomach congestion. One would think that with Rosaura gone, that Tita and Pedro can finally spend their lives together. Although that is not the case. All of the town would still judge Tita and Pedro about their relationship. What Tita can do is provide her neice with a wonderful wedding, and celebrate with Esperanza that she’ll be able to dodge the tradition that was laid upon herself. Tita wants Esperanza’s wedding to include the most delicious food she’s ever made. One of the main dishes her prepares is chillies in walnut sauce, which causes all of the guests to experience an intense serge of lust, much like the one Gertrudis experienced in the field many years ago. All of the guests flee from the ranch to find places secluded enough to make love to their partners. Tita and Pedro make their way to the dark room, where Nacha’s spirit lights up 250 candles. They make love to each other with more passion than they’ve ever had. This strong emotion causes Pedro to light up his inner spirit and reveal the lighted pathway to heaven.  He follows it and goes to heaven, not realizing exactly what’s happening. Tita knows what caused Pedro to die and that she never wants to be separated from him ever again. She consumes matches to ignite the fire within her soul in order to reveal the same pathway to heaven that Pedro took. The pathway appears for Tita and she accompanies Pedro into a place where they can be together without judgment and without time. Due to the fires ignited within the lover’s souls, a great fire is set to the ranch. After the flames subside, the land is left extremely fertile to grow an abundance of produce to nourish Pedro’s and Tita’s family. 

Themes

Several themes I came across in the novel were true love, mother figures, cruelty, and magic. The theme of true love occurred many times , within the relationship between Pedro and Tita. The connection between Tita and Pedro is very extreme. Even from across a room, they can feel the heat from the other’s body. They’re physically drawn to one another, and this bond is something miraculous. It’s what little girls dream about obtaining when they meet their true love.  This idea of true love is one of the many illustrations that Laura Esquivel draws for the reader. Another idea that Esquivel explores is mother figures. In Tita’s case, she never felt a motherly bond with her mother, because of Mama Elena’s chilly disposition. Instead she formed a bond with Nacha, the cook. Nacha teaches Tita the life lessons one can learn from the kitchen. Tita uses this exact method when she raises Esperanza, who is not her daughter. Later in the novel when Rosaura dies, Tita again takes the role of being Esperanza’s mother. This idea that children can be raised even more successfully by someone else than their mother, is the message that Esquivel is trying to put forth. She’s saying that it’s okay for a child to find comfort in someone else if the relationship that they have with their own mother is not a good one. Tita’s mother is one of the origins of cruelty within the novel, another main theme expressed by Esquivel. Mama Elena beats and forces her daughter to perform numerous, labouring tasks. As if that isn’t enough, she demands her to complete them to sheer perfection. Mama Elena also holds down upon Tita a ridiculous tradition in which Tita cannot marry nor have children, and that she must tend to her mother until her death. Mama Elena punishes Tita even though she’s completely innocent and obedient. What’s so cruel about her is that she treats Tita this way only to avenge her own guilty feelings for not following her heart and marrying her true love. The only thing that can compensate for Tita’s unfortunate luck, is the magic that she can create through her food. This magic within Tita is the most important theme shown by Esquivel. Tita unintentionally channels the emotions she feels into the food she makes. For example, when she feels intense lust for Pedro after he gives her a bouquet of roses, this feeling gets channelled into the rose petal sauce. When Gertrudis eats the quail immersed in the rose petal sauce, she experiences an intense serge of heat and desire. Another example of magic is at the end of the novel, when Pedro dies and Tita finds a way to join him onto heaven. She consumes matches in order to ignite the spirit inside her so heaven’s pathway will open up to her and allow her to finally be with Pedro for eternity. It’s such a shame when lovers are separated by death, and the fact that Tita never has to part from Pedro again is magical.

Characterization

In Like Water For Chocolate, Tita is characterized as being pitiful, and worthless. She also does whatever she is told, no matter how ridiculously challenging the chore may be. One reason for Tita’s lack of self respect is Mama Elena’s domineering attitude. She is told from a young age that she can not marry nor have children, because it is her responsibility to care for her mother till she passes away. I believe the restrictions thrust upon Tita cause her to not value her own life. Factors that also affect Tita’s character are the tragic events she experiences. For example, when Mama Elena forces Pedro to marry Rosaura due to her worry that Tita would run away with Pedro and leave her without help in her later years. An additional event that affected Tita’s character was when Roberto dies from malnutrition, because Rosaura’s breast milk dries up. Again, Mama Elena drives Pedro out of her life, and consequently deprives Roberto of Tita’s breast milk which miraculously materializes within her breasts. Mama Elena is portrayed as a cruel woman throughout the novel. She acts as a constant stopper to her family’s happiness. It isn’t until late in the novel, on pages 125-126, that you find out the reason for Mama Elena’s unshakable negativity. She was forced to give up the love of her life and be with a man she didn’t truly love. A way she consoled her regretful feelings was to punish her innocent daughter and make sure she felt the same pain she had felt so many years ago. This can only reflect the cruelty within Mama Elena’s character, because of the fact that she takes no pity on anyone and cannot feel even just a bit of empathy for them.