1. Tita Quote: "Tita was so sensitive to onions, any time they were being chopped, they say she would just cry and cry; " (Pg. 5) Write-up: Tita is the main character of the story, also the narrator, who suffers from unjust oppression from Mama Elena, her mother. She is raised to excel in the kitchen and many entertaining arts where she is expected to spend her whole life taking care of her mother. This is following the family tradition that the youngest daughter takes care of the mother until she dies. With her frivolous wants, Mama Elena denies her marriage and happiness to any man especially Pedro. She eventually breaks down and meets John Brown, the family doctor, who recovers her until she finds happiness again after Mama Elena's death with Pedro. Overall, Tita goes through a very dynamic change in the story which obviously entitles her to be a main character. 2. Mama Elena Quote: "Besides insisting that Tita taste the food in front of her, she [Mama Elena] always had a glass of warm milk to counteract the effects of the bitter poison that according to her was dissolved in the food." (Pg. 135) Write-up: Mama Elena is a stern and bitter woman who oppresses Tita to be her caretaker through the family tradition. She keeps Tita from her true love, Pedro, and it is later revealed that Mama Elena herself once suffered from a lost love, embittering her for the rest of her life. Any child of her is deemed unworthy when he/she does something that is against her "rules." She takes this to the extreme where the rules are imposed on her more "public family," John Brown and Pedro included. Her stern stature is noted when her daunting gaze makes the Revolutionary general Juan Trevino uneasy. Eventually, her pride and distrust is revealed to be her major flaw which causes her death. 3. Gertrudis Quote: "She [Gertrudis] had come back with the intention of showing Mama Elena how she had triumphed in life. She was a general in the revolutionary army Leadership was in her blood " (Pg. 178 - 179) Write-up: Like all the daughters of Mama Elena, Gertrudis despised her very oppressive mother. She escapes her mother by running off with a rebel soldier, Juan Trevino due to a reaction of Tita's Quail in Rose Petal Sauce recipe.
1.Who is the narrator of the story? How is he or she connected to the story ( main character, observer, minor character)?
The story begins with Titas birth prematurely when Mama Elena was chopping onions. Tita grows up with Nacha the most dominant figure in her life, and follows Mama Elenas routine of cooking, cleaning and sewing. At every incident she can, Mama Elena criticizes Tita and even beats her if she tries to speak up. One day Tita tells her mother that Pedro wants to come and ask for her hand, but according to the family tradition she cannot marry because she is the youngest daughter. Mama Elena tells Pedro he can marry Rosaura- one of her older daughters, and Pedro agrees to the arrangement just to be closer to his true love- Tita.
When Tita had made dinner for her mother, Mama Elena brutally rejected her kindness. Tita could not understand why her mother treated her cruelly, "she didn't understand Mama Elena's attitude . . . It was beyond her comprehension that one person, whatever her relationship with another, could reject the kind gesture in such a brutal manner . . ." (130-131). After all that they had gone through, Tita thought at least some things had changed. Of course nothing had changed because Mama Elena saw her daughter as she saw her self many years before. But after her mother's death Tita was enlightened when see discovered her mother's love letters from José, her mother's only true love (137).
This causes Tita to take her anger out on Elena. This is the first time Tita has stood up for herself. Later in the story Elena grows sick and dies. Then her ghost comes back to yell at Tita for becoming pregnant with Pedro. With this I wonder, did Elena ever really love Tita? This is her daughter and she never showed compassion for her. Throughout the story she has treated Tita more like a slave than her daughter. Also in the story the readers find out that Elena went through the same thing Tita is experiencing. Elena was in love with a man, but her parents forbid the marriage. They then proposed that she marry another man and was forced to go through with it. Elena continued the affair with her love and became pregnant. The man that Elena loved was killed before she had any chance to run away with him. Leaving her heartbroken with a man in whom she does not love. So Elena, out of all people should understand what Tita is going through. Most people would assume that Elena would be all for Tita marrying Pedro, but for some odd reason she won 't let it happen. Some might wonder if Elena has the mindset of, “If I couldn 't have my love, neither can she”. This thought process is extremely childish though. Elena can see Tita suffering through this, but never changes her ways. Why would anyone want to see his or her own child suffer? Elena has to have some good in her; unfortunately she never seems to show it. Even as a ghost she curses Tita and her child. Now that in death she still can’t accept Tita and what she chooses. There doesn 't seem to be much love in this family. Even after all these issues and foolish family traditions, Rosaura has decided to not let Esperanza marry. No one has seemed to learn that not allowing their child to marry only causes
... Evidently, Maria Teresa is being selfish and failing to recognize her sister’s bold act in hoping to achieve freedom. Focusing on her own freedom and safety, Maria Teresa loses sight of the kind consideration that she developed in her childhood.
Out of the three sisters, the eldest sister is Rosaura who is almost like a copy of Mama Elena. Just like her mother, she locks herself up in the cage of family tradition. The De La Garza family had a tradition that the youngest daughter in the family could not marry as she was supposed to take care of her mother all her life. This is the tradition that Mama Elena conforms to and Rosaura follows her footsteps. This makes the reader feel that even after Mama Elena’s death, her character is still living through the body of Rosaura.
Taking place during the Mexican Revolution, Tita who is one of the main cooks in the household is not allowed to marry her true love Pedro. Mama Elena strictly forbids her from marrying Pedro which pushes her further into emotional distress. The day of Pedro and Rosaura 's wedding, Tita tears fell into the cake batter and had a sorrowful effect on anyone who ate it. Esquivel shows us that emotion can have a positive or negative influence on
In this story it can be easy to point out who were the protagonists, the mother (Bernarda) and Poncia. Poncia had worked for Bernarda for several years and became an important part of the household. In the first act Poncia is speaking with the other maid about how she has been with Bernarda for thirty years, washing her sheets, spending nights watching over her, peeking through cracks to spy on the neighbors to bring her the gossip (195). She has been a loyal servant, although she is just doing her job and doing what she is told. Poncia, later in the play, even tries to help Bernarda realize what has been going on under in her own house (253-256). Even when there was a lot of gossip on Bernarda's house that could have been spread through the town Poncia keeps it from spreading; as she told Bernarda; "I cover up more than you think" (275). Poncia is clearly a protagonist in this story, although she tries to pick sides.
First there is the incident at the sink (near water) when Claire pushes the dishes onto the ground. Also the girl’s body was found in water. Then as Claire and Stuart pull up to the picnic ground the reader becomes aware of the creek running under the bridge. It is at this stage that Claire is thinking about why Stuart and his friends had to travel so far to go fishing, when there was so much water close by (again suspicious of Stuart). Also at the creek, Claire identifies with the dead girl and water plays a significant part again, ‘I look at the creek. I’m right in it, eyes open, face down, staring at the moss on the bottom, dead.’ Another incident involving water is when Claire is driving to the funeral. She pulls over and a man knocks on her window. This is important as Claire fears that she will be raped by the man and at the same time she can hear the river below the trees. Water is also mentioned near the end of the story when Stuart is opening Claire’s blouse. It is obvious that Claire doesn’t want to have sex with Stuart (for the second time) and he is forcing himself on her but Claire ‘can’t hear a thing with so much water
In the book Like Water for Chocolate, the women of the De La Garza family are all very strong in their own ways. Each of the three sisters Tita, Gertrudis, and Rosaura and the mother Mama Elena have special strengths and qualities that best describe them.
Mama is a powerful, strong witted person. She has a lot of control in this play and dominates as a woman character. This is unusual because this is usually a male’s position in life. She is a woman, “who has adjusted to many things in life and overcome many more, her face is full of strength”. In this play she is illustrated as taking over for the head of the family and controls the lives of everyone in her house. Rules are followed to Mama’s extent. She controls what is said and done in her house. After Walter yells, “WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE LISTEN TO ME TODAY!” (70). Mama responds in a strong tone of voice saying, “I don’t ‘low no yellin’ in this house, Walter Lee, a...
“A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with [their] freedom” (Dylan). However, though heroes face complications throughout their quest, in the end they often accomplish an important rask. In the book, Like Water for Chocolate, the main character, Tita shows a perfect example of a hero. Tita is in a continuous emotional quest throughout the entire story, but proves along the way she is indeed one who will not fail. Many characteristics of a hero certainly fit Tita’s character, however, there are some very important ones, she: suffers an unusual childbirth, yields a special weapon, goes through a traumatic event that leads to an adventure, has supernatural help, experiences atonement with mother, and when she dies she is rewarded spiritually.
The story begins with Tita passionately in love with Pedro Muzquiz and he with her. "She would never forget the moment their hands accidentally touched as they both slowly bent down to pick up the same tray" (18). Their romance is cursed from the start, however, because of an old family tradition, stating that the youngest daughter must remain unmarried and care for the mother as long as either may live. Pedro, unaware of the tradition, comes to the ranch to ask Tita's mother, Mama Elena, for Tita's hand. Mama Elena tells Tita, "If he intends to ask for your hand, tell him not to bother. Heíll be wasting his time and mine, too. You know perfectly well that being the youngest daughter means you have to take car...
Although Tituba is mostly minimalized through her race, there are other females who grasp ahold of the situation and use it to their advantage. As the servant girls overtake the trials and the town, the traditional male character’s authority is challenged as the trials are no longer in their hands. Although Danforth and Hale are no longer the town’s self-proclaimed saviors, salvation is not far away. Growing from a man with reservations to a man who must shed his tears and bear his heart, Proctor loses control of himself and, martyr-like, dies a different
Doña Barbara a female caudillo, is the owner and ruler of El Miedo, a hacienda in Aruca Vally Venezuela as well the low lands surrounding the Orinoco river. Barbara is known as the man-devourer as she uses men to enrich herself and then disposes them, this was the case of Lorenzo Barquero a properly owner whom she marry to take possession of his land; and then left him to become an alcoholic. Doña Barbara is known and respected in the land she is said to be as fierce and strong as any man; along with her kinsmen and the corrupted authorizes she has been stealing cattle and land from Altamira a neighborhood hacienda. The climax of the story is reached when Santos Luzardo; a well manner lawyer and the rightful owner of Alatamira arrives to Aruca Vally to address Altamira’s mismanage and ongoing financial problems. The peones (working man) in Altamira do not believe Santos will be a match for Dona Barbara corrupted actions, however, as true llaneros they swear loyalty to their patron (boss). Barbara and Lorenzo had a daughter Marizela, who reminds Barbara of herself before she was raped. This is the reason why she has left the girl penniless living on a hut with her alcoholic father as punishments for not been strong like her. Upon his arrival Santos takes Lorenzo and his daughter t...