Breaking the Mode in Frida and Like Water for Chocolate

In her essay, Helene Cixous discusses the gender-based structure that women have been imposed. According to her findings in order to destabilize the masculine structure people need to question the connection between the writing and the sexuality in order to bring women from the nonexistence they have been. In the movies Frida and Like Water for Chocolate the two main characters Frida from Frida and Tita from Like Water for Chocolate are able to break free from the complex web of cultural determinations in order to challenge the predefined ideological system in which they were force to live.

Both of these films took place in the back stage of the Mexican Revolution. During 1900s women role was a submissive one and not a very visible one. Social constructions such as women role was to get married and reproduce were very pending. However, the situation started to transform. Some women from all around the world started to break free from such behavior and decided to become more noticeable.

In Frida Kahlo’s movie Frida was able to break the cultural determinations that were place for women to follow during her period. Frida was able to break from the chains by challenging Mexican society norms. Her behavior defied every role given to women by society. From the start she was rebel and determined. Throughout the film actions like sneaking a boy into her house and being sexually active before getting married was not very acceptable in society and not well seen.

Furthermore, in some important occasion she dressed up as a boy foreshowing her sexuality, she was also attracted to female. Bisexuality was not common during that era and neither was accepted. Yet Frida did not care. Along with this behavior she was going further and further...

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...aracter. It was obvious that women did not fit in to that kind of position because women were and sometimes are consider weak. Yet she was able to escape from the web the traps both sexes by pursuing a job that was mostly hold by men.

One interesting fact to note is that Tita’s mother is the “head” of the house. Traditionally men are the head of the house though she was able to hold the position because her husband was dead. Yet it is interesting to recall that her voice was the maximum power of the house. She imposed and made sure family traditions were followed. This is important to recall because tradition sometimes are part of keeping an ideology alive. She believed that just as her family followed this tradition it was her part to do the same. I believe that sometimes women like her oppressed other women to be submissive to the society they lived in.