Like Water For Chocolate Character Analysis Essay

I live in a matriarchy. My mother is the main breadwinner of the house, and is a leader both inside and out of the family. She is a surgeon, and commands her Operating Room with her presence. She is a classic feminist, a woman who believes that she is of value and is just as important as a man. Throughout my life my mother has always told me, “Never rely on a man.” I have always taken this message to heart and forged my own path in life without patriarchal consideration. Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a story whose characters are also forging their own path in life without patriarchal consideration. The novel is about a talented chef named TIta, who uses her emotions to create exquisite food, and lives on the De La Garza family

Tita is a character who throughout the book must stand up for herself when she is wronged and rebels against the oppressive authority that Mama Elena emposes. She is also an incredible cook, and is able to rise up the ranks within the kitchen with her knowledge and links to past generations, which gives her power. “Tita was the last link in a chain of cooks who had been passing culinary secrets from generation to generation since ancient times, and she was considered the finest exponent of the marvelous art of cooking. Naming her official ranch cook was a population decision with everyone” (Pg. 48). Knowledge is a form of power and Tita most certainly has a lot of knowledge which allows her to move up within the ranch. This subverts the patriarchal narrative of women in power because normally it is the man who holds the knowledge that allows them to be powerful. Throughout history as well as literature men have been portrayed as having vast amounts of knowledge which allows them to hold quite a lot of power and women are normally portrayed as knowing nothing and the only thing that they learn is what they learn from male authority figures. This story subverts this because it is Tita with the vast knowledge, and Tita with the power that she is the last link in the De La Garza Ranch cooks who know culinary secrets. Another example of how TIta is able to subvert the patriarchal narrative

This is shown through the character Mama Elena, whose mere presence and force of nature allows her to control the entirety of the De La Garza Ranch. Tita is also portrayed this way through her extensive knowledge and leadership qualities that give her power. Gertrudis is also a character who is portrayed as subverting the patriarchal narrative of women in power for her leadership qualities as well as her sheer determination and hard work that allowed to rise up the ranks of the revolutionary army and maintain a lot of power. This entire novel has shown women in a light that has not normally been seen. For example, my mother, who is one of the strongest people I know, grew up on books that portrayed women as weak and below men. The reason that she became so strong was because of her family, who did not agree with these values and taught her to be independent. One might wonder what would have happened if women were more often portrayed in the way that Esquirel portrays women back then and if that could’ve caused more young women to go after their dreams and change the world. However, this is a more modern age, and in this more modern age, more and more women are seeing books like Like Water for Chocolate that show women in actual power, and this has undoubtedly pushed women to realize their full potential