LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE Laura Esquivel

Maria Cecilia Celada Crizelle Anne Marie Roquero

Jobelle Salvador Alma Siobal IV-8 BEEd

Author’s Biography, Period

and

Summary

Author’s Biography

Esquivel was born in September 30, 1951 in Mexico, the third of four children of Julio Caesar Esquivel, a telegraph operator, and his wife, Josephina. Esquivel grew up in Mexico City and attended the Escuela Normal de Maestros, the national teachers' college. After teaching school for eight years, Esquivel began writing and directing for children's theater.

In an interview with Molly O'Neill in the New York Times. Esquivel explained, "I grew up in a modern home, but my grandmother lived across the street in an old house that was built when churches were illegal in Mexico. She had a chapel in the home, right between the kitchen and dining room. The smell of nuts and chilies and garlic got all mixed up with the smells from the chapel, my grandmother's carnations. the liniments and healing herbs." These experiences in her family's kitchen provided the inspiration for Esquivel's first novel.

Period - a 1992 film in the style of

magical realism - based on the popular novel,

published in 1989 - It earned all 11 Ariel awards of

the Mexican Academy of Motion Pictures including the

Ariel Award for Best Picture Highest grossing Spanish-

language film ever released in the United States at the time.

Tita De La Garza is the youngest in their family

so she is tied to their family tradition wherein she is

not allowed to marry because she have to take

care of her mother until she dies. Because of that,

Pedro Musquiz, the person she loves marry her other

sister, Rosaura, so that they are still near to each

other. Rosaura give birth to Roberto. Tita is the one

who take care and feed the child. Because of that,

Tita and Pedro become closer that make Mama

Elena (the mother of Tita) suspicious so she sent

Pedro and Rosaura to San Antonio.

Summary

Tita feel depressed. It intensify more when a

news came that is telling the death of her nephew.

Mama Elena ordered to put Tita in an Asylum but Dr.

John secretly bring her to his home. Tita decided to

not come back anymore but a news came that

their ranch is raided that leaves Mama Elena

paralyzed. She goes back to the ranch to take care

her mother but Mama Elena refuses. After a month,

her mother died that makes her free so she decided

to accepts the proposal of Dr. John.

Summary

Pedro and Rosaura goes back with their

second child, Esperanza. Tita and Pedro formed an

affair. Tita thought that she is pregnant but after

some days, she bleeds.

After some time, Rosaura died. Making Pedro

and Tita to expressed their love for each other

freely. Later, Esperanza and Alex (the son of Dr.

John) got married. After that, Tita and Pedro make

love. Because of the intensity of their love for each

other, Pedro died that is followed by Tita. The ranch

was set on fire and the only thing that survives is the

recipe book of Tita.

Summary

January: Christmas Rolls February: Chabela Wedding Cake March: Quail in Rose Petal Sauce April: Turkey Mole with Almonds and Sesame Seeds May: Northern Style Chorizo June: A Recipe for Making Matches

Chapter Organization:

Month by Month

July: Ox Tail Soup

August: Champandongo

September: Chocolate

and Three Kings Day

Bread

October: Cream Fritters

November: Beans with

Chile Tezcucana Style

December: Chiles in

Walnut Sauce

Josefita (TITA) De La

Garza

Protagonist of the novel The youngest daughter

of Mama Elena Prohibited by family

tradition from marrying so that she will be free to take care of her mother later in life

Elena De La Garza

(Mama Elena)

The tyrannical, widowed matriarch of the De La Garza clan

The prime source of Tita's suffering

She keeps Tita from her true love, Pedro

Rosaura De La Garza

The second daughter of Mama Elena

Rosaura marries Pedro

Her first child, Roberto, dies as an infant;

her second, Esperanza, prohibited like Tita

from ever marrying, weds Alex after she

dies.

Gertrudis De La Garza

The eldest daughter of

Mama Elena Returns to the ranch as a

general in the revolutionary army

She is the offspring of a hidden, extramarital affair between Mama Elena and her true love, a mulatto man.

Pedro Muzquiz

Tita's true love, and the eventual father of Roberto and Esperanza.

Denied marriage to Tita

by Mama Elena, he agrees to marry Rosaura, breaking Tita's heart.

Dr. John Brown

An American doctor who cares for Tita when she experiences a breakdown, and the father of Alex.

Tita becomes engaged to him, but eventually denies his marriage to pursue Pedro.

Nacha

The ranch cook The prime caretaker

for Tita throughout her childhood

She is also the source for most of the recipes in the novel

Chencha

The ranch maid She becomes Tita's companion in the kitchen after

Nacha's death.

Roberto Muzquiz

The first child of Rosaura and Pedro Dies in America after being taken away from Tita's

care.

Esperanza Muzquiz

The second child of Rosaura and Pedro The mother of the narrator in the novel She is raised by Tita in the kitchen

Alex Brown

The son of Dr. John Brown The father of the narrator He marries Esperanza

Nicolas

The manager of the ranch

Juan Alejandrez

The captain in the military who took Gertrudis and eventually marries her.

Jesus Martinez

Chencha's first love and husband.

Character

Setting

Plot

Conflict

Theme

Elements of the Story

The main setting in this novel is set on the

De La Garza’s ranch in the rural part of Mexico.

In the middle of the story, the setting changes

as Tita moves in the village of Dr. John.

However, when time comes that Nacha died

Tita spends most of her time in the kitchen as a ranch head cook.

Mexican Revolution (1910-1917)

During this time, peasants and natives

banded together under the leadership of figures

such as Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata to

reject the old order's dictatorship, revive

democracy, and claim Mexico for the everyday

man and woman.

For most of Mexico's developing history, a

small minority of the people were in control of

most of the country's power and wealth, while the

majority of the population worked in poverty.

Esquivel uses the revolution to explore

themes of masculinity and gender identity,

and examine how individuals appropriate

for themselves the revolution's goal of

liberty.

Overall, this was a time of political

unrest in Mexico, which left the everyday

citizens in constant fear of looting and

violence by soldiers/militia.

Character

Setting

Plot

Conflict

Theme

Elements of the Story

Plot

Tita De La Garza is the youngest in the

De La Garza family. One day, Pedro

Muzquiz, Tita’s love, comes to their home to

ask for her family’s blessing in their

marriage. But the De La Garza family have

a tradition wherein the youngest in the

family will take care their mother, who is

Elena, until she dies. Because of that, Pedro

decided to marry Tita’s sister, Rosaura,

because in his mind, it is the only way to stay

closer with Tita.

One afternoon, Tita cooks a delicious

food with the petals of roses that is given to her by Pedro. It gives a different effect

on Gertrudis, the other sister of Tita, which

cause her to flew away, naked, with a

soldier.

On the other hand, Rosaura give birth

to Roberto. Tita is the one who feed him

and at some point, Tita unbelievably produces milk from her breast even she

don’t have a child.

Mama Elena is suspicious about

the relationship of Tita and Pedro so she

sent Pedro and Rosaura to San Antonio.

After some time, a news came telling

that Roberto died which greatly affect

Tita. So, Mama Elena ordered to put Tita

in an Asylum but their family doctor, Dr.

John secretly bring Tita to his home.

Little by little, Tita recovers and decided

not to go back to the ranch.

The ranch was raided by the rebels,

Chencha was raped and Mama Elena was severely injured. Tita went back to the

ranch to took care of her mother. Mama

Elena treated Tita roughly and believe that

Tita is putting poison on her food. Later,

Mama Elena died because of overdose.

Tita found a box containing letters of

Mama Elena. From that, she found out an affair between Mama Elena and another

man.

Tita was given the freedom

she wants because of the death

of her mother. As a result, she

accepts the engagement

proposal of John.

Pedro and Rosaura returned

to the ranch and have their

second child, Esperanza.

When Pedro knew about the

engagement, she talks to Tita about

his love for her that put Tita in

confusion. That night, they make love.

After a while, Tita felt that she is

pregnant. She don’t know what to do

and to who she can talk to. It came to

the point where Mama Elena’s ghost appeared to her, telling how disgustful

and scandalous she is.

Gertudis return to the ranch

as a general. Tita confided to her,

and Gertrudis advised Tita to tell it

immediately to Pedro. Pedro is

very happy and serenaded Tita

outside her window that caused

an accident that burn Pedro.

Again, Mama Elena’s ghost

appear and talk to Tita, but this

time, Tita fight back that cause

the ghost to totally disappear

along with her pregnancy.

Tita took care of Pedro, using

the techniques that John taught

to her. After that, John came

back and Tita confess to him

about her affair with Pedro. Pedro

told that he still want to marry Tita,

but the decision is on Tita’s hands.

After several years, Esperanza

and Alex (the son of John) got

married. Rosaura has died. That

night, Tita and Pedro make love to

the room where they first make

love. It is full of candle lights. Their

love for each other is so intense

that cause Pedro to die, Tita

followed him.

After that, the ranch was

set on fire and the only

remains was the recipe book

of Tita that serves as the history

of the De La Garza family.

Character

Setting

Plot

Conflict

Theme

Elements of the Story

When Tita and Pedro make love in the

darkroom and Tita thought she was

pregnant. She was torn between her love

for Pedro and Dr. John. It brought a conflict

when she and Rosaura had gotten into a

fight about their love for Pedro and their

families tradition.

Tita’s duties and responsibilities set us a

major conflict in the story, because as the

youngest in the family, she can’t marry the

one she loved. Family tradition requires Tita

to reject Pedro’s love in order to take care

of her mother until she dies. Therefore she

focus her love for cooking.

Character

Setting

Plot

Conflict

Theme

Elements of the Story

TRADITION

The tradition enforced by Mama Elena is

defied progressively throughout the novel. In the

first chapter of the novel, Tita is very dedicated to

her duties and responsibilities as a cook because

she and Nacha were bestfriends from the very

start.

The romantic love that is exalted

throughout the novel is forbidden in order to

blindly enforce the tradition that the youngest

daughter be her mother's guardian.

OBEDIENCE

Mama Elena, being the authoritative one in

the ranch, Tita must obey all the difficult tasks

that her mother assigned her to do. Tita never

demand on anything and obey her mother

without any question. Even though Tita struggles

a lot, she is very determined to work and she

never forget the word ‘obey’ just because of her

mother’s attitude.

CRUELTY and VIOLENCE

In relation to obedience, cruelty and

violence what Mama Elena does to Tita as she

forces to obey her. This everyday cruelty and

violence that her mother does to her is very

usual because when Tita shows some

expression or disobedience that her mother

doesn’t like, she scolds her and sometimes hit

her and makes Tita sick.

CREATIVITY and IMAGINATION

Tita’s magical power when it comes to

cooking is shown in the novel. In every chapter

there are different dishes and recipes which

produce waves of uncontrollable desire to each

and every character.

After Nacha’s death, she still helps and

guides Tita in her cooking and gives Tita

confidence when she needs it.

Point of View, Style

and

Symbolism

THIRD PERSON: All-Knowing

The point of view shifts from Tita's first

person narrative to her great-niece's,

Esperanza, third person point of view

towards the end of the novel.

By placing an actual recipe at the

beginning of each chapter, the author is

reinforcing the importance of food to the

narrative.

The title comes from an old Latin-

American saying, Como Agua Para

Chocolate, which is Like Water for

Chocolate or water that is at boiling

somehow portraying the ‘boiling points’ of

human passion. It can be interpreted as a

person who is about to burst in an emotional

manner.

Magic realism often involves time shifts, dreams, myths, fairy tales, surrealistic

descriptions, the element of surprise and shock,

and the inexplicable.

Like Water for Chocolate is an example of

magic realism because it occur when Tita's

recipes have strange effects on those who eat

them, when spirits appear to her, and when she cries actual rivers of tears.

The recipes serves as transitional

tools to get from one chapter to the

next.

One example of fantastical event

occurred in the novel is when Tita

cooks with the rose petals.

Food A symbol of Tita's love for

Pedro Tita remains confined to the

kitchen, her creative preparation of the family's meals continues to serve as a vehicle for her love for Pedro and his children, and thus as a rebellious expression of her mother's efforts to separate them

Cook book One of the symbol in the

novel Like Water for Chocolate

Symbolizes that even when people die, the cooking of the family will survive

When the recipes of a family passes on, so does the essence and history of the family

Fire Desire and destructive passion

Three different times: 1. Gertrudis eats Tita's rose petals

and becomes so aroused. 2. Mama Elena's spirit becomes so

angry about Tita and Pedro's relationship that it causes an oil lamp to explode and burn Pedro.

3. Tita eats candles after Pedro's death, killing herself and destroying the family's ranch.

Moral of the

Story

Loyalty and Unconditional Love

Tita’s love for Pedro is unconditional from

the very start. When she met Dr. John, she still

never forgets Pedro. This novel taught us that you must learn how to be loyal to the ones you

love even though there are some

circumstances you are facing, at the same

time show unconditional love for them to know that they are worth fighting for.

Respect for others rights

Respect is very important to each and

every person because everybody deserves to

be respected. In this novel, it shows that Mama Elena don’t treat Tita in a right way. She

dominates everything in the ranch and doesn’t

think of others rights.

This help us realize that respect is a golden value for everybody and should be

treated equally.

Thank you