Mama Elena not only wants to make sure that Tita respects this culture while she is alive, she continues to haunt Tita even after her death. In her old age and deteriorating condition, Mama Elena was not able to cook for herself and therefore Tita had to do it for her. However, Mama Elena took massive doses of the chemical ipecac, which is meant to protect against poisoning and it kills her. In her depressed state while Pedro marries Rosaura and they move away, Tita begins to see psychologist John Brown who helps her back to health. In this process, they begin to become fond of each other and fall in love. He proposes to her, and because Mama Elena is dead, she may accept. However, Pedro and Rosaura come back to the ranch days before the …show more content…
Like Water For Chocolate is an extremely important piece of literature because it came at a time of tension between Mexican Americans and Americans. It is a controversial time between the cultures as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which promoted free trade among Canada, Mexico and the United States, in which tensions arose between U.S. citizens and Mexican immigrants. This trade deal causes alienation of the Mexican population because Americans saw them as taking their job security away from them. With the books outrageous popularity among readers, it was converted into a film, directed by Alfonso …show more content…
In the book Malinche, because of Malinalli’s blind faith into her belief that Cortez was a resurrection of a god, she breaks the tradition of women gender roles of the time. She actively helps the Spaniards to hunt down Montezuma and eventually kill him. This death that has a direct correlation to Malinalli causes her to become guilty and feel responsible for his death, leading to her decline mentally. In Like Water For Chocolate, the Tita breaks the clutches of the typical tradition of Mexican women and as a result become liberated, but only at the expense of their health mentally and physically. Esquivel proves this theory through Tita by showing the intense tradition that Mama Elena believes that she must uphold. However in Tita rejecting these values, she hurts Pedro and herself catching them both on fire and killing them. Like Water For Chocolate suggests that because this happens, rejecting family tradition while it may help to liberate one’s self and increase happiness, may end up causing harm to one’s self physically and mentally. Through this novel, Esquivel comments on the order that comes as a result as a hierarchy in a family. Typically the father rules the house and makes all of the decisions of the household, then the mother, eldest son and age. However, with the absence of the father in the De La Garza family, Mama Elena