A BOOK REVIEW ON LAURA ESQUIVEL’S
“LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE”

by Jaycee Lukban

The Characters and Their Significations in the Society

The diverse characters in the novel “Like Water For Chocolate” have different significations in the society. Moreover, their characters can be appropriate in any race, culture or country that is also suffering from the strict dictates of tradition & society.

Josefita “Tita” De La Garza

Tita is the protagonist & the central character of the novel. She signifies any ordinary woman in the society with her own principles & identity. However these women are subject to violence, not just by men but also by other women in the society, and to the traditions & other killing social norms. Given this kind of situation, she cannot assert her individuality, and thus, mislays her identity.

Since these women are subject to the harsh dictates of the society, and also traditions & other social norms, they repress their emotions. They are anxious on what the society might throw into them and they fear condemnation. However, in their own little ways, they try to fight oppression by simply objecting to it.

It is in these women’s weaknesses & helplessness that we can infer their courage. Yes. I believe that these ordinary women also have a small amount of strength in them. In Tita’s situation, it takes courage to undergo the things she had gone through in her life, like living with a mother such as Elena, and to see her beloved one married to her own sister. Women have a tendency to love too much & this nature of women is very much revealed in Tita’s character.

Typical women are nurturing like a mother & virgin-like. This is evident as Tita nurses his nephew Roberto with her own milk that miraculously flows from her breast.

Aside from that Tita also reveals the vulnerability of women. They have their own limits & they can’t take much pain. This is revealed in Tita’s insanity, hallucinations & depression.

Tita also reveals the nature of women as someone who is desired by men. They have to be loved & taken care of. Lastly, she is an epitome of a woman who survived a killing traditional society.

Pedro Muzquiz

The character of Pedro signifies those people who willingly & actually fight the control of the oppressing traditions. He symbolizes a revolutionary. Even if what he does is wrong, he would still go for it for the satisfaction of his passion & desires.

Gertrudis

This witty half sister of Tita represents the liberated type of women, more commonly called as the “woman of the world”. Although they are not the ideal women & they are denounced by the society, they are still contented with what they have become in their successes & triumphs. They are the women who have the strength to fight the suppressing cultural & social norms & inappropriate traditions of a certain society for the better expression of herself. Her character “embodies reckless indulgence of individual needs & disregard for societal norms”. (www.sparksnotes.com) Moreover her character also suggests the sexual awakening of women.

Despite of all these significations, she never lost the essence of being a woman: she remains to be a nurturing sister, companion & source of strength to Tita.

Mama Elena

Mama Elena represents the traditions & the closed minded, harmful & violent society. She exudes the strong power & force that the society over its individuals through the reinforcement of social norms & standards, and the pressure of conforming to all of it.

Furthermore, she also reveals the epitome of a woman who grew into repression & bitterness. With those things, she forgot what real love truly means, the same way the society has forgotten the simple pleasures in life that could cause happiness due to the existing problems they encounter & the difficult life.

Her relationship with Tita reveals the hierarchy in the family, that there is a gap between parents & children. However this hierarchy is expressed in a very exaggerated manner.

Rosaura

Rosaura represents the continuing force of traditional society in the modern days. She is an ugly, unappealing remnant of the old society that has to be abolished & forgotten, and be replaced by a new approach that is more logical, rational & empowering.

Esperanza

Esperanza signifies the society’s hope of liberation. That hope puts an end to the cycle of the society’s repression. Moreover, she also symbolizes the freedom of women from the oppressive traditions & beliefs to which she is subjugated.

Dr. John Brown

Dr. Brown represents the catalyst of change, the “cure” of the rotting society such as in the novel. He symbolizes the new approach to the society, a more liberal & rational approach that empowers people.

The Novel's Plot Structure

Exposition

·         The story was set in the kitchen. Nacha & Mama Elena, then pregnant with Tita, are together.
·         Mama Elena prematurely gave birth to Tita. Along with Tita’s entrance to the world was a flood of tears that inundated the kitchen floor.
·         Tita, according to Mama Elena, shall not marry to abide with their family tradition; that the youngest daughter should take care of the mother till the day of her death.
·         Tita grew up in the kitchen, understanding the world in terms of food.

Rising Action

·         Pedro confessed her love to Tita, who was already 16 at that time.
·         Mama Elena warned her about the family tradition. Tita renounced it.
·         Pedro, with his father, paid a visit to the ranch & asked for Tita’s hand. Mama Elena refused. Instead, she insisted Rosaura for Pedro.
·         Pedro agreed to marry Rosaura to get near Tita, without her knowing Pedro’s true intentions. It hurt her.

Crisis

·         Tita was unable to express her emotions because Mama Elena forbids her to do so.
·         During the ceremony, Pedro told Tita about his purpose. Tita was delighted.
·         The wedding reception turned out to be a disaster. The guests wallowed & mourned as they tasted the Chabella Wedding Cake Tita had baked containing her tears. They all felt an immense longing on their lost loves, except Tita. On the same day, Mama Elena reprimanded Tita for the trouble. Nacha died of depression.
·         Rosaura felt insecured when Pedro gave Tita a bouquet of roses in her first year anniversary as the ranch’s head cook. Tita, thereafter, made Quails in Rose Petals. It served as an aphrosidiac for Gertrudis. The latter began to have sexual urges & went away with Juan Alejandro, a soldier from the army.
·         Tita assisted Rosaura in giving birth to Pedro, as she was aided by the spirit of Nacha. Rosaura failed to produce milk for her baby. Tita nursed Roberto with the milk from her breasts that miraculously flowed.
·         Mama Elena speculated that there was something going on between Pedro & Tita. She arranged for Pedro & Rosaura to move to San Antonio. When they left, Tita got depressed. She preoccupied herself in feeding the pigeons.
·         The ranch was raided by the troops. Mama Elena courageously confronted & scared them away.
·         The news of Roberto’s death devastated Tita. She mourned, and when Mama Elena rebuked her, she bravely answered back & received a strike of a wooden spoon that broke her nose.
·         Tita broke down & detached herself from the world. Mama Elena ordered to move Tita in the asylum, but instead, she was brought to John Brown’s house. She remained in her catatonic state until she was fed with the Ox Tail Soup.
·         While Tita was under Dr. Brown’s care, a group of bandits attacked the De La Garza ranch. Mama Elena & Chencha was harmed. Tita, in hearing the news, went back to the ranch, and took care of Mama Elena.
·         Mama Elena refused to have Tita care for her. She did not eat the meals prepared forher by her daughter. She died within a month. Tita mourned over her mother’s thwarted love. Tita was now freed over her mother’s cruelty.
·         John proposed marriage to Tita.
·         Rosaura difficultly gave birth to Esperanza.
·         Rosaura got bedridden due to the difficulties she had in giving birth. Tita nurtured Esperanza. Rosaura got jealous & confirmed Tita’s fear of Esperanza going through the family’s tradition. Tita was angered by this.
·         Pedro abducted Tita.
·         Tita suspected that she is pregnant.  Rosaura, on the other hand, suffered from digestive problems, making her more unappealing.
·         Mama Elena’s ghost appeared & scolded Tita for having an illicit affair with Pedro. She curses the child in her.
·         Upon informing Pedro about her pregnancy, Pedro was delighted. However, he is torn between his true love & his family.
·         Mama Elena appeared once again, but this time, Tita renounced her. She did not come back for good. However, Mama Elena’s went back to Pedro, as he found himself on fire while serenading Tita. Tita nursed Pedro, Rosaura got jealous.
·         Rosaura confronted Tita about her relationship with Pedro. She called her a “loose woman”. She no longer allowed Tita to take care of Esperanza. After the commotion, the chickens attacked each other. It caused a stir.
·         Tita revealed everything to John when he came back from the States. Despite of everything, John was still willing to take Tita as his wife.
·         Years have passed & Esperanza fell in love with Alex, John’s son. Rosaura refused while Pedro & Tita pleaded that she should leave the decision to Esperanza.

Climax
·         Rosaura died after days of violent argumentation.
·         Esperanza & Alex married. There had been a big celebration at the ranch.
·         Tita & Pedro, after long years of waiting, expressed their love freely to each other while the others were not around.

Falling Action

·         Pedro died due to his overpowering passion. Tita followed suit. The ranch was set on fire due to the love & passion the couple had exuded.

Denoument

·        Esperanza, upon returning home, had found Tita’s recipe book buried in the ashes. She passed it to her daughter on the day she died.

·         Tita’s grandniece/Esperanza’s daughter uttered the words: “Tita, my great-aunt, will go on living as long as there is someone who cooks her recipes.”

The Novel’s Position in the World Literary Canon

The novel “Like Water For Chocolate” deals with the shift from a traditional to a modern society & women’s liberation from the oppressive judgment of the society & the traditions that degrade them as well.

The novel falls under the genre magical realism. In magical realism, fantasy & other coexisting forces contradicting religion are infused into a story to uniquely illustrate a certain condition. Latin American writers commonly use this genre or writing style. Laura Esquivel perfectly & appropriately applied this writing style in her novel, which has received critical acclaim as it surfaced during the mid 90s. Moreover, the novel “emerged at the same time when new ideas about multiculturalism in literature brought attention to the work of previously ignored minority women authors.” (www.sparknotes.com)

In the literary canon, the novel belongs to the 7th hierarchy or level, which is the female Latin American works. However, I find the hierarchies of the literary canon insignificant due to the fact that the novel can be applied universally. Its message, significations & theme can apply to almost any race & country in this world. In my own opinion, the hierarchy should be abolished because literature is art, and for me, all art deserves equality, only that there are really brilliant & astounding one. The race in which the literary work came should be disregarded. There are still a lot of things that are to be considered like the novel’s message & its significance to the society at large.

The novel provided a lot of insights & perspective in viewing the society. Moreover, it is also quintessential; it is a literary treasure & masterpiece. It is full of sense, that seeing it in a lower hierarchy level might affect its quality & exquisiteness. Personally, the novel is essential, and it should be a part of the world literary canon, disregarding the hierarchy.

“Like Water For Chocolate” is one literary masterpiece that readers shouldn’t miss. It covers all sorts of tastes. It is a perfect recipe that liberates & empowers. The lessons, insights & the story per se are truly remarkable.

Jaycee Lukban (the writer's pseudonym) is a senior student in De La Salle University-Manila taking up Marketing Management. Ironically, in the future, he hopes to take his M.A degree related to Literature, as it is truly where his heart belongs. He loves writing plays, poetry in Filipino, and conceptualizing storylines. Currently, he is working on his first full length novel tentatively entitled "Paco".

His review on Laura Esquivel's highly acclaimed "Like Water For Chocolate" was originally submitted as a term paper for his World Literature subject during his junior year in DLSU. Little did he expect that the review would yield a perfect score. Jaycee was definitely overwhelmed.