Like Water For Chocolate Feminist Essay

What makes Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel, a feminist novel? Well, first of all, there needs to be at least one female character breaking gender stereotypes. Fortunately, each of the many females in Like Water for Chocolate represents a different description of what most people classify as a feminist. Before stating what actually makes a feminist a feminist, remember the following definition, “Feminism is the belief that all women should be allowed the same opportunities, power, and rights, as men. They shouldn’t face discrimination or disadvantages based on their gender” (Feminist Presentation). With that definition in mind, the two characters chosen are rebellious, outspoken Tita De la Garza and strong, courageous Gertrudis

De la Garza.

Despite spending her entire life in the kitchen, being ordered to make food and clean, Tita’s fate of being the youngest of the three De la Garza sisters alters her from a subservient girl, to a rebellious woman.

Tita’s rebelliousness shows many times, but Mama Elena is there to conceal it by reprimanding her. At one point, Mama Elena gets exasperated of Tita’s acts of rebelliousness and confronts her about it, “ ‘Are you starting up with your rebelliousness again?...’ ” (12). The fact that Mama Elena is always there to prevent Tita from rebelling, means that it wasn’t prevalent for a woman to oppose orders. By doing so, Tita, as a result, breaks the gender stereotype of being submissive and doing what she is told. Tita’s rebelliousness displays once again when she decides to keep quiet after John asks why she remains reticent, responding with, “...’Because I don’t want to’...” (118). This time, Mama Elena isn’t there to stop Tita from gaining a sense of freedom, interpreting it as her first actual act of rebelliousness. Once again, Tita’s behavior breaks gender stereotypes by going against what she is told. Moreover, Tita is also outspoken. Tita’s erratic tendency to reveal what’s truly on her mind constantly gets her into trouble. After hearing the calamitous news of Roberto’s death, Tita, whose blood is practically boiling, blames her nephew’s death on Mama Elena, “ ‘You did it, you killed Roberto!’ “ (99). With her actions, Tita breaks the stereotype of being quiet and not speaking out loud. Another time where Tita’s verbal outbreak shows, is when she finally admits to Mama Elena what she’s been wanting to say for the longest time, “ ‘I hate you, I’ve always hated you!’ “ (199). Tita’s sudden reveal of her feelings breaks the stereotype of girls being quieter than men and are not to speak out. Because Tita is outspoken, she’s very open about the way she feels and isn’t afraid to tell everyone. Gertrudis, however, identifies as a feminist for entirely

distinctive reasons.

Gertrudis, the oldest of the three De la Garza sisters, is seriously strong, mentally, emotionally, and physically. According to the novel, Gertrudis’ strength was similar to a man, “She was a general in the revolutionary army” (178). Gertrudis, whose mental, emotional, and physical strength resembled a man’s, broke a huge gender stereotype by proving that women were obviously just as strong as men. Furthermore, the following quote portrays how she behaves on the field, “...she fought like mad on the field of battle” (178-179). After Gertrudis’ conversion to general, she seems to completely destroy all assupmtions of women being quaint. As a general of the revolutionary army, Gertrudis is consequently courageous. According to the book, “...once she joined the army, she began a rapid ascent through powerful positions until she was at the top…” (179). By being a courageous general in charge over numbers of men, Gertrudis decimates the stereotype of women having “clean jobs”, such as teachers, nurses, etc. Also, “...Gertrudis...was regaling them with fantastic stories of the battles she’d been in” (179), breaking the stereotype of women being at home, where they “belong”.

In conclusion, Tita and Gertrudis break a number of expectations society wants women to follow. Tita, with her rebellious and outspoken personality, breaks the expectations of being submissive and quiet. Gertrudis, with her strong and courageous behavior, breaks the expectations of women having “clean jobs” and staying at home to cook, clean, and care for children. Although these women both have love interests, each individual fight their way to get what they desire.