The story of “Like Water for Chocolate”

The story of “Like Water for Chocolate” is about the relationship of the mother, Mama Elena, to his three daughters namely Rosaura, Getrudis and Tita. The setting was in Mexico where the life there before had been portrayed. It goes with the love story of the protagonist “Tita” and her love interest Pedro Muzquiz. Since the mother of the three girls is already a widow, she refuses to accept that her youngest daughter had already fallen in love with someone. Instead, she imposed to the people in that set up that Tita, being the youngest of her daughters must be with her until her soul leaves her. Quoting from the book, Mama Elena told Nacha that “Nacha! Don’t say that.

As my youngest daughter, Tita will care for me until the day I die. She won’t marry.” This is one of the sayings in the book from the site mentioned below. Adding to the pain the imposing of her mother, Pedro married one of her sisters, and that is Rosaura. She was badly hurt emotionally with the situation but still can’t find anyway to get free of it. Since Tita is suppressed with what she feels, she just managed to improve her recipes, giving them her best effort and affection.

On the later part of the story, she made her talent her way of capturing and cornering Pedro. Fortunately in the end, they still managed to express their love for one another like what Getrudis, (her older sister) have done with the revolutionary army she fell in love with. Being affected by the bad things that happened to Tita, Getrudis also found a way to escape their very imposing mother.

Mother and daughters are expected to have good relationships at home since they are of the same gender. The changes that a daughter would undergo must be first known by her mother in order for her to be guided or so, like if the daughter will have to recite on her class the next morning, it is the duty of the mother to guide her with the things that will improve the speech or knowledge of her daughter. The relationship between the mother and the daughter I think will serve as a foundation of the girl’s interaction with other people with her entire life.

Mothers are always thought to become the light of the home. They are regarded to be in charged of the household chores like for dish washing, cooking, doing the laundry and cleaning the house. As it was established by the society, the mother also gives her daughter the ideas of the things she may become after her childhood. It is with the mother that the daughter will learn the basic ways of life, the social roles of women and other stuffs.

Girls that have time with their mothers might have experiences that have molded them the way they are in their past, present and future. And for those who are born without their moms with their side might also have the factors why they became what they are since they do not have someone who is expected to primarily guide them. Is the relationship of the mother and daughter really connected with the issue of power and gender?

In this assignment, we are to examine the relationship of Getrudis and her mother in order to answer the question above. Getrudis as we remember is the middle child of Mama Elena who was not so mentioned in the story since it all went for Tita and Rosaura who is the wife of Pedro. Getrudis, being the silent one with the happenings in Tita’s life, is also suppressed of her freedom.

When she found someone who will awaken her sexuality, she eloped with him and then after came back since the war is going to start again. We can say that there are a few interactions with the mother and the daughter here since the mother already imposed her power over her daughters, I think she has given them the factor that she must be respected or so, and that is dictating them that mothers have power more than what they have.

In the set-up of the family, everybody searches for power, however, it was the social structure of the family and the place where they are situated that influenced their aspired power. Since it was during the Mexican Revolution, which is a way bit far from our present situations, certain family traditions are still existent. And with their family, their mother forbade their search for power and it was with that act they forcefully found it by also expressing their sexualities.

In the situation of Getrudis where she was with the man of her dreams, it was with escaping with Sargento Treviño that her gender came into action. Girls that expressed their love with their sweet and enticing scents are like Getrudis who found a way of being her real self, a woman who was implanted with the desires that only a man can suffice.

Taking in consideration the situation of Getrudis and Mama Elena, I can say that a daughter’s relationship with her mother affects the way she faces her life. Since power and gender are parts of being a human, it is expressed by the way the daughters are molded by their contact with their moms. Both the positive and negative parts of the relationship between a mom and a daughter give rise to the searching of identity of someone. Therefore, in evaluating a person’s power or gender, it is right to look first at his/her background where he/she might have gotten his/her personalities.

Works Cited

Amy Coffin. Like Water for Chocolate. 9 December 2007.            <http://www.thebookhaven.net/Z_Like_Water_for_Chocolate.html>

Judi Clark. Like Water for Chocolate (books review). 1999. 9 December 2007.            <http://www.mostlyfiction.com/latin/esquivel.htm>

Like Water for Chocolate.2006. 11 December 2007.            <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/likewater/section3.rhtml>

Internet Movie Database. Memorable quotes for Como agua para chocolate. 2007. 12     December 2007. < http://imdb.com/title/tt0103994/quotes>

Laura Esquivel. Quotes from Like Water for Chocolate : A Novel in Monthly      Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies. 2007. 12   December 2007.            <http://books.zaadz.com/4088/like_water_for_chocolate/by_laura_esquivel/qu     otes>