Like Water For Chocolate: Rebellion

A step by step guide to being rebellious day to day

[lwfcgroup4]

Tita seems to have settled down her rebellion as she has gotten older, but she still seems to have a flare for stirring up trouble. Although Dr. Brown is stable and loving, she still has a romantic spark for pedro. This spark caused her to refuse Dr. Brown's proposal in fear that he wouldn't light her candle, showing that she truly doesn’t care for the mundane and must always be rebelling. Tita was unable to settle with doctor brown because she has always and always will be in love with pedro. Their forbidden love is the ultimate form of rebellion. Their rebellion as lovers was destined to be, much like the Mexican revolution that was occurring during the novel. The Spanish could not control the country from overseas much like how mama elena could not control Tita after she became ill. Tita participated in the ultimate rebellion in the end of the novel when the entire ranch was burned down due to her passionate love making with pedro.

-will Brown

[lwfcgroup4]

Songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GWQ-oDMG6g (Never Gonna Be Alone), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-3vPxKdj6o (Breakaway)

Left to suffer in silence, the plight of Tita becomes the driving force that removes her from the ranch and more importantly, tradition. However, a brutal gang...

[lwfcgroup4]

Tita's interactions and teachings of Esperanza against Rosaura's will are yet another form of her rebellion against the institution. She instructs Esperanza to strive for more than her traditional place, which she does, and allows her to go to school and blossom into the woman that Tita wished she could have, and should have, been. Esperanza's rebellion would not have been possible without Tita setting it up, and although Tita does not get to experience this success directly, it is still a win for her and a strike against a cruel, senseless tradition. 

-Alex

[lwfcgroup4]

I think when looking at rebellion in Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate”, the ending is very important to address. As the posters of this blog have addressed in the past, Tita uses little acts of rebellion to keep herself sane, keeping some control of her own life/destiny in her own hands. At…

[lwfcgroup4]

I love your take on the ending of this novel however I saw it a bit differently. I saw the loss of Pedro as setting her free. She was so close to uncensored intimacy and it all comes to a brutal end. She pretty much is told one more time she can’t have the love she deserves. From there I think Tita spirals into a sort of falling out that you described. She is burning her candles all at once and I think the recipes being the only thing remaining is just a glimmer of hope for the next generation to get away from the hardships she faced.

- Kenneth

[lwfcgroup4]

It's really interesting that you thought that Pedro's death was a release for Tita, and I agree with you, although she doesn't seem to be interested in a life without him, which is why she does not hesitate to eat her candles and light all her matches at once. I think that's one of the only times Tita has gotten lucky and gotten to do something she wanted in her life - how unfortunate that it led to her death. Tita's remaining cookbook offers the few good things Tita had in her life to the next generation, and casts away all negativity and cursed traditions. 

-Alex

[lwfcgroup4]

As she has done the entire novel, Tita continues to rebel in the second half, and even more dramatically so. After running away from the ranch, Tita tells Chencha to bring the news that she will never return and decides to marry. However, Tita is forced to eat her words and return after a group of revolutionaries badly injure Chencha and Mama Elena. Tita’s rebellion and emotions continue to come through in her food – Mama Elena mentions a particular bitter taste in Tita’s cooking. How appropriate. Tita's most profound rebellion is when she tells Mama Elena that she hates her and everything she has done in Tita's life. Tita’s final rebellion, her unrestrained lovemaking with Pedro, ends her life in a joyous way, and leaves behind only her cookbook and Esperanza, a symbol of hope (and whose name means hope) and fresh matches for the next generation.

- Alex

[lwfcgroup4]

I feel like in the end of  this novel, after the fire, after her passing, and after they clear the ashes, Tita rebels in the world one final time with her recipes. This motif of cooking is present since her birth and the added magical realism is Tita’s way of coping with the harsh reality that she grew up in/died in. Her recipe’s consisting of absurd ingredients really show that Tita is not one to follow the status quo. Honestly, I think that Tita has a horribly unfair life and think in the end the novel is not about remembering her’s, but passing on hope to the next generation. Esperanza translates to ‘hope’ in English. This novel is entirely about Tita passing on hope to those growing up into possibly the same struggles she faced. In the end the I think that Tita’s struggle was to click with anyone beyond a simple friendship, even though that seems hard for her, and her recipes are just a way for her to cope. When her relationship finally ignites with Pedro in the afterlife, it sparks in the world she left behind sending hope to those she left behind.

[lwfcgroup4]

I completely neglected to mention Esperanza's name in any of my posts and I think it's an important point to touch on for sure. Tita leaving the world might have been rough on her but primarily it means that Esperanza has no more attachments to her family's restrictive past. The townspeople supposedly saw some sort of spectacle similar to fireworks, a celebration of her leaving the world. It isn't a sad event, it is a happy thing in every aspect of it. It is the begining of a new chapter, Esperanza's chapter. 

-Pete

[lwfcgroup4]

I feel like in the end of  this novel, after the fire, after her passing, and after they clear the ashes, Tita rebels in the world one final time with her recipes. This motif of cooking is present since her birth and the added magical realism is Tita's way of coping with the harsh reality that she grew up in/died in. Her recipe's consisting of absurd ingredients really show that Tita is not one to follow the status quo. Honestly, I think that Tita has a horribly unfair life and think in the end the novel is not about remembering her's, but passing on hope to the next generation. Esperanza translates to 'hope' in English. This novel is entirely about Tita passing on hope to those growing up into possibly the same struggles she faced. In the end the I think that Tita's struggle was to click with anyone beyond a simple friendship, even though that seems hard for her, and her recipes are just a way for her to cope. When her relationship finally ignites with Pedro in the afterlife, it sparks in the world she left behind sending hope to those she left behind.

[lwfcgroup4]

I think when looking at rebellion in Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate”, the ending is very important to address. As the posters of this blog have addressed in the past, Tita uses little acts of rebellion to keep herself sane, keeping some control of her own life/destiny in her own hands. At...

[lwfcgroup4]

I love your take on the ending of this novel however I saw it a bit differently. I saw the loss of Pedro as setting her free. She was so close to uncensored intimacy and it all comes to a brutal end. She pretty much is told one more time she can't have the love she deserves. From there I think Tita spirals into a sort of falling out that you described. She is burning her candles all at once and I think the recipes being the only thing remaining is just a glimmer of hope for the next generation to get away from the hardships she faced.

- Kenneth

[lwfcgroup4]

Songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GWQ-oDMG6g (Never Gonna Be Alone), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-3vPxKdj6o (Breakaway)

Left to suffer in silence, the plight of Tita becomes the driving force that removes her from the ranch and more importantly, tradition. However, a brutal gang...

[lwfcgroup4]

I think it definitely says something when that whenever some sort of progress is made it must be preceded by the destruction and/or loss of something else. In order for Tita to be free, the ranch had to be attacked and Mama Elena had to die. In order for Esperanza to be free Rosaura had to die and the ranch, symbolizing the old establishment, had to burn down. Progress always had to come with a price and I absolutely don't think that was unintentional. Esquivel is showing us that you have to really be willing to fight and suffer for what you want in life.

-Pete

[lwfcgroup4]

Tita seems to rebel in just about every facet of her young life. Her rebellious spirit seems to stem from her love for others which always seems to be forbidden. She truly shows this through her dishes which contain essential elements that reveal her true emotions. These emotions are then...

[lwfcgroup4]

While seemingly insignificant, Tita's acts of rebellion define who she is. Employing all facets of her person, Tita utilizes the utmost of her female drive and determination to shirk the confines of societal norms. Whether it be the pulsating Northern-esqe lights shining from the bath house or the mental battles with her deceased battle axe of a mother, Tita utilizes her mind, spirit and body to resist the injustices thrust upon her since birth. Unable to share her desires, Tita channeled her emotions within the heart of the house, the kitchen. A realm of safety, Tita nurtured her personal rebellion with warmth and spices fueling herself to resist the oppression constantly oppressing her soul.

~Amanda

[lwfcgroup4]

Tita seems to rebel in just about every facet of her young life. Her rebellious spirit seems to stem from her love for others which always seems to be forbidden. She truly shows this through her dishes which contain essential elements that reveal her true emotions. These emotions are then...

[lwfcgroup4]

You hit on exactly what makes her struggle to grow up so tragic in my opinion. As Tita gets older, she seems to struggle with any form of intimacy as every romance she seems to be forbidden or denied from her in some way. I feel like her entire life she grew up being told what she couldn't do and that lead her to want to rebel and be against the norm. She breaks the the norm when she lets everyone into her world of imagination through her recipes.

- Kenneth

[lwfcgroup4]

I think when looking at rebellion in Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate”, the ending is very important to address. As the posters of this blog have addressed in the past, Tita uses little acts of rebellion to keep herself sane, keeping some control of her own life/destiny in her own hands. At...

[lwfcgroup4]

Destined for suffering, Tita's life serves as a forerunner of societal change and rebirth of culture, proving that things often digress before the silver lining is found. In spite of the restrictions placed upon her by the unjust nature of her dominant mother, Tita channels her frustration, cementing an escape for those in future generations. This rebellion enacted the reform which her society so desperately needed. Although her plight is full of half achieved dreams and a nonexistent affair with a married man, Tita was the apparent savior of Esperanza and many others, leaving her legacy behind in a cookbook chock full of hope for a brighter future and more burning matches.

~Amanda

[lwfcgroup4]

Life's Not Like a Box of Chocolates

Songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GWQ-oDMG6g (Never Gonna Be Alone), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-3vPxKdj6o (Breakaway)

Left to suffer in silence, the plight of Tita becomes the driving force that removes her from the ranch and more importantly, tradition. However, a brutal gang attack on Chencha and Mama Elena forces Tita to come to grips with her past and share the magic of the Ox Tail Soup which revived her own crushed spirit. However, Mama Elena's stubborn refusal of Tita's remedy ends in her death, where Tita discovers letters detailing repressed memories of a love affair with a mulatto man. Finding similarities between herself and the source of her oppression, Tita pities the societal bonds destroying all love and happiness her mother once knew and is finally able to grieve. Now free to seek love, Tita experiences the rekindling of her moldy matches, only to suffer vicariously with the birth of her niece, Esperanza. Rage boiling in her chest at her plight, Tita becomes weak and finally succumbs to Pedro's advances...

Shattering the codes of decency, Tita's rebellion manifests itself in the form of an "unborn child". Forlorn and left to her own devices, Tita muddles through life, plagued with the heckling of her dead mother's self-righteous attitudes and no one to confide in. 

Once reunited with Gertrudis during the Feast of the Three Kings, Tita copes with the loneliness accompanying rebels and rediscovers her fighting spirit. Confronting Pedro, heart on her sleeve, Tita unveils his hesitancy to scoff societal norms in favor of appearance. Disappointed, an emotionally unstable Tita faces her deceased mother, casting off her input and rules once and for all, freeing herself -the ULTIMATE rebellion! 

Unable to ever truly escape her destiny, Tita provides Esperanza the methods and life lessons needed to experience a life worth living, hidden within her cookbook. Essentially a guide to rebellion, Tita encourages her niece to shirk the place set at Rosaura's elbow and become a true woman: educated, emotional and beautiful. While Tita discovers freedom through consummation of desire with Pedro at the novel's end (the chains of the past burning around her), Esperanza marries, attends school and nullifies the need for rebellion against society. Tita paved the way.

~Amanda

[lwfcgroup4]

All's Well That Ends Well

I think when looking at rebellion in Esquivel's "Like Water for Chocolate", the ending is very important to address.  As the posters of this blog have addressed in the past, Tita uses little acts of rebellion to keep herself sane, keeping some control of her own life/destiny in her own hands. At the end of the work, it seems that Tita has finally freed herself from all of the chains that have bound her for her whole life and she is finally with Pedro. Their love is free, no longer forbidden. However, during their first time making love unrestrained, Pedro dies, going into the light after Tita herself chose to not do so. This seems to be perfectly in line with how Tita's life has gone so far. To quote earlier in the novel, she is forever like water for chocolate, brought right up to the edge of boiling, of happiness, and then back down,  never truly reaching that goal. Tita sees that life has put her on a path to remain alone for the rest of her days, never really getting the chance to experience love and she rebels against destiny itself. Tita begins to eat her candles, lighting them aflame with the her inner passion. The tunnel reappears and Tita joins her lover once more, as they set off magnificent sparks that set the ranch ablaze in such a flashy manner that people thought they were setting off fireworks. The ranch, Tita's prison, burned to the ground in the flames of her rebellion and all that remained was her cookbook, the symbol of who Tita was, the symbol of her rebellion. 

-Pete

[lwfcgroup4]

Tita seems to rebel in just about every facet of her young life. Her rebellious spirit seems to stem from her love for others which always seems to be forbidden. She truly shows this through her dishes which contain essential elements that reveal her true emotions. These emotions are then manifested through those who consume these dishes allowing her to profess her feelings to others indirectly. She also continues to sew her bedspread as another form of rebelling against another forbidden love. The bedspread goes on to further represent this hidden love due to its massive length causing it to resemble the train on a wedding dress. When Tita is sent away to live with doctor Brown, she realizes the amount of freedom she truly has which only feeds her rebellious spirit. Her hands symbolize freedom solely due to the fact that hands are our way of manipulating the world around us.

- Will

[lwfcgroup4]

Songs detailing Tita’s Journey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWdLt3Afjrg&list=RDBWdLt3Afjrg and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuFkavneS60&list=PL8uWVsyXICQKBFe-nEsbQJHwYu6LpiOgO

Heart fit to burst with tenderness towards the married Pedro, Tita labors underneath the strict social...

[lwfcgroup4]

Although the Mexican Revolution has a somewhat minor role in the book, I think it serves well as a symbol and parallel of Mama Elena's tyranny and hellish home. The symbolism really adds to the meaning of this book - Tita's sensual desires expressed through her cooking and cookbook, her constant humiliation and reminder of her social duty with bathing her mother, etc. I also think Tita's will to live was pretty much gone after her mother forbade her marriage to Pedro, but it finally completely died with the death of her beloved nephew, Roberto.

[lwfcgroup4]

Songs detailing Tita’s Journey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWdLt3Afjrg&list=RDBWdLt3Afjrg and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuFkavneS60&list=PL8uWVsyXICQKBFe-nEsbQJHwYu6LpiOgO

Heart fit to burst with tenderness towards the married Pedro, Tita labors underneath the strict social...

[lwfcgroup4]

Although the Mexican Revolution has a somewhat minor role in the book, I think it serves well as a symbol and parallel of Mama Elena's tyranny and hellish home. The symbolism really adds to the meaning of this book - Tita's sensual desires expressed through her cooking and cookbook, her constant humiliation and reminder of her social duty with bathing her mother, etc. I also think Tita's will to live was pretty much gone after her mother forbade her marriage to Pedro, but it finally completely died with the death of her beloved nephew, Roberto. 

[lwfcgroup4]

Couldn’t imagine being passed off just after being born… Poor Tita

Seems like ever since she was born she was put on the back burner, not given much attention by mama Elena. I feel like although we haven’t really gotten to see much of her rebellion, we can link it back to this… a cry for attention? wanting revenge? just wanting to feel part of something? 

—Kenneth

[lwfcgroup4]

I feel like her rebellion (which we haven’t seen much of yet) would be more of a cry for attention than anything else, She is passed off to her nanny since her mother cannot produce milk, and  then she is basically let to grow up on her own (or so I interpreted it). Also, what since the book says she is born from her mother’s tears, is she predisposed to be unhappy? Or is it more of a metaphor that good things can come from sad times. Also, I’m still the only one to have posted so far so I am commenting on my own post, this is pretty much all I can do at the moment.

-Kenneth

[lwfcgroup4]

As I stated in my post, I feel that she does rebel in  tiny ways everyday just to keep herself going, ya know? She can't simply shrug off hundreds of years of cultural standards, traditions and customs but she can do little things. She can love Pedro in silence, she can care for the child, even having the birds is something that she does for herself in order to maintain some semblance of control in the little aspects of her life.