Like Water For Chocolate Magical Realism

Like Water for Chocolate

How and with what effects does Esquivel use Magic Realism to explore one or two ideas in the novel Like Water for Chocolate?

Like Water for Chocolate is a novel written by the novelist Laura Esquivel, revolving around the captivating but hopeless love of Tita and Pedro who are separated from each other due to family traditions. The novel is divided into 12 monthly instalments from January to December, with each chapter beginning with the preparations of a Mexican recipe which soon reveals a connection to an event in Tita’s life. Magical realism is a type of literary genre or style that integrates surreal elements of fantasy and mythology into natural realistic surroundings. The use of reoccurring magical realism expressed

through the perception of the characters enables Esquivel to explore the main ideas of oppression and freedom throughout the course of the novel. ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬While the surreal incidences initially seem bizarre or out of place, Esquivel’s choice of incorporating magical realism into the story enables a visual depiction of abstract qualities such as elements of emotion and desire.

From the beginning of the novel through multiple occasions, it becomes evident that Tita’s food becomes a physical representation of her emotional condition, anyone who eats her food are consumed by a tirade of emotions mirroring Tita’s state during the food preparation. During the making of the quail in rose petal sauce, Pedro gifts Tita a bouquet of pink roses to celebrate her first year as ranch cook – both to which Mama Elena greatly disapproves of. Tita’s blood is added to the ingredients when she holds Pedro’s bouquet of roses so tightly that the pink roses “had been turned quite red from the blood that was flowing from Tita’s hands and breasts”. The magical element from the added blood is put into action when Gertrudis consumes the quail in rose petal sauce Tita prepares for the family dinner. When Gertrudis eats the rose quail, she begins to feel an “intense heat pulsing through her limbs” [Page 49] as if the dish had seemed to act as an aphrodisiac to her body. As Gertrudis runs to the shower, her body became soaked with pink sweat that radiated a strong floral aroma

which eventually captures the attention of the captain of the rebel forces. The glaring heat of Gertrudis’ body was further exemplified in the novel through magical realism when “her body gave off so much heat that the wooden walls began to split and burst into flames”[page 51]. Using magical realism, Esquivel conveys the idea of freedom through Gertrudis’s escape, through the rose quail, she is now free from her mother’s confining grasp and the patriarchal ideology of their society. The vivid depiction of the event as described by Tita who witnessed the magical features complements the realistic aspect of the story by her indifferent nature of narrating both the realistic and fantasy elements. The intense effect of the rose quail on Gertrudis reflects Tita’s feelings and desire towards Pedro that were restrained under Mama Elena’s control. Through Esquivel’s usage of magical realism, Tita, whose true feelings are forced to be hidden from the world, was able to freely express her longing through the actions of other characters, giving reader a deeper insight into the understanding of their world using the character’s thoughts.
After Mama Elena’s death, Tita believed herself to have been liberated from her mother’s ideals – and thus, gaining freedom.

However, even after death, Mama Elena’s influence continues to dominate Tita and the ranch. During the King’s Day Bread preparation, the ghost of Mama Elena reappeared as a “strong gust of wind” [page 157] in front of Tita. From just her mere presence, her instilled fear was enough to send an “icy shiver down Tita’s spine” [page 157]. The use of magical realism by Esquivel in the novel brings Mama Elena back into the story as an afterimage to demonstrate the effect of oppression and abuse on different individuals. Rosaura, who chose to respond to Mama Elena’s oppression with obedience, showed no signs of fear when hearing of her spirit wandering the hallways. On the contrary, Tita, who was constantly subjected to Mama Elena’s physical and emotional abuse, immediately pleas for forgiveness to her actions and feelings towards Pedro when faced with the ghost of Mama Elena. The two contradicting responses to the ghost highlights Esquivel’s idea of oppression – individuals can choose to either conform or rebel against it, with both choices creating different pathways. As shown in later chapters, Tita’s true liberation from Mama Elena begins when she counteracts the spirit’s words with her own thoughts, stating “I know who I am! A person who has a perfect right to live her life as she pleases…I hate you, I’ve always hated you!” [page 180]. With her final

statement, the image of Mama Elena shrink away into a small light along with major relief in her body as “the inflammation in her belly and the pain in her breast began to subside” [page 180], liberating Tita from the heavy burdens of her mother and gaining the freedom to be with the one she loves. The effect of magical realism in the novel gives exemplified visual imagery to the emotions and burdens experienced by the characters. By giving a face (Mama Elena) to negative notions such as abuse and oppression, Esquivel could project internal conflicts into reality to explore her ideas of true liberation and freedom.
In conclusion, Esquivel utilises magical realism in her novel to communicate the main ideas of oppression and freedom through physical projections of abstract qualities. The physical manifestations of the character’s state of mind are exemplified in reality as a representation of the effect abuse and violence has on individuals – giving readers a deeper insight into the workings of her character’s thoughts. The rose quail and ghost are examples of incorporated magical realism leading to the liberation of her two characters; Gertrudis and Tita. The genre of magical realism is used by Esquivel to communicate her main idea of responding to oppression - those who follow are destined to die without fulfilling their dreams whereas those who defy authority are given the opportunity to pave a new beginning.