Analytical Essay On Heartburn By Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron’s novel, “Heartburn”, is about a naïve cookbook writer (Rachel Samstat) who gets married to a political columnist (Mark Feldman). Soon after, Mark has an affair with an acquaintance of both, him and Rachel’s. Throughout the book, Rachel relates food with the ups and downs of her life. It is her passion. She turns to food in times of joy and in times of crisis and heartache. Throughout her whirlwind of life and marriage to Mark, food is the one consistency, and the one way that helps her explain or get through her everyday life. It surrounds her world and she and food have become one.

First, Rachel explains some of her best work and says that, “I simply could not make a bad vinaigrette” (Page 12). Her love and passion for food and cooking has crossed into their marriage and what a quality person she is. “Even now, I cannot believe Mark would want to risk losing that vinaigrette. You just don’t bump into vinaigrettes that good” (Page 12). She

continues to hold on to this sacred vinaigrette, treating it as if it is one of the only things keeping Mark from truly walking away from their family. “At one point over the weekend Mark asked me how I made my vinaigrette, but I wouldn’t tell him. I figured my vinaigrette was the only thing I had that Thelma didn’t, and I could just see him learning it from me and then rushing over to her house with a jar of Grey Poupon mustard” (Page 126). It is clear that Rachel is not just confused about Mark’s willingness to lose her amazing vinaigrette. She is also confused on how he could be willing to lose her, and their family.

Next, for Rachel, food is a sort of representation of what type of person someone is. Thelma Rice is obviously a pain in Rachel’s side. Her relationship with Mark has caused turbulence in Rachel’s life. She often associates Thelma with her “gluey pudding”. The fact that Thelma did not value food was a reflection in Rachel’s eyes of what type of person she was. Rachel even talked herself into believing that Thelma could never replace her in their group of friends and their passion for food because of her lack of cooking talent. “Thelma Rice didn’t care about food—that was clear from her gluey puddings—while the four of us had a friendship that was a shrine to food” (Page 102). In reality, Rachel would not, not be friends with Thelma based on her lousy pudding but this was a way for Rachel to cope with the affair and ease her worries that their family would be broken up.

Finally, for every good or bad time in Rachel’s life, there is a recipe to go along with it.

“The first time I made dinner for Mark I made potatoes. The first time I made dinner for anyone I ever cared for I made potatoes. Very crisp potatoes, I must make tonight, crisp potatoes." Then she explains that mashed potatoes is like the end is near. There is nothing like mashed potatoes when you are feeling blue.” After the near destruction of her marriage, Rachel needed to turn to something that was a representation of happiness and new beginnings. “I have friends who begin with pasta and friends who begin with rice, but whenever I fall in love, I begin with potatoes” (Page 121). She compares the time and patience it takes for phenomenal potatoes to the time and patience it takes to build a really great romance and relationship. It is clear that subconsciously she thinks that eating these amazing potatoes could not only make her feel better, but also represent a new beginning again for her and

Mark.

In conclusion, Rachel’s relationship to food was a tool in helping her throughout her life. It helped her to see the good and bad in people. It helped her to get through hard times and good times in her marriage and ultimately helped her to move on and grow. “I taught Mark to make the vinaigrette” (Page 174). In the end, she knew that Mark did not truly love her, and by finally giving him her recipe, it was a way for her to finally let go and move on with her life