Like Water For Chocolate Feminist Essay

My Mother always wanted me to be comfortable with independence, with doing things on my own. I have found that throughout my childhood, the power I gained from the push to find my strength at a young age has been priceless. However, this sort of upbringing wasn't always culturally acceptable. The importance of embracing your power as a woman is a recurring theme in Laura Esquivel's novel, Like Water for Chocolate. Taking place in Mexico during the early 20th century, the story follows three daughters as they navigate their way through independence, self-discovery, and their intensely problematic mother. Like Water for Chocolate utilizes a feminist perspective which is portrayed in different ways through dominant female characters in the book.

This combats the typical female stereotype that women will always forgive and will always wait for their men. When Pedro confronts Tita about his regrets regarding his relationship with Rosaura over her, Tita snaps, “Let me suggest, next time you fall in love, don't be such a coward” (149). When Pedro hears of John’s proposal and realizes that Tita has moved on, he feels the need to tell her that she is making a mistake. Tita, taken aback by his belittlement of her decision, exclaims, “Pedro, you're hardly the one to tell me what I should or shouldn't do” (148). Tita isn’t afraid to express her frustrations with Pedro, despite the gender roles in which the novel takes place. Tita also doesn’t just wait for Pedro to be available and fully commit to her, furthering the idea that she encompasses dominance and power as a

Throughout "Like Water for Chocolate," Mama Elena manages to “have her way“ (10) with everyone around her. “Again with a look, Mama Elena informed him there was still time to repair the damage. Such a look it was that he excused himself and went off to look for Rosaura” (48). This quote shows that men are afraid of Mama Elena’s power. The level of respect everyone has for her is so high that all she has to do is hit Pedro with a glance, and he knew that he had made a mistake and needed to fix it. Earlier in the novel, when Pedro first shows interest in Tita, Mama Elena shuts it down before the relationship even gets to blossom; “If he intends to ask for your hand, tell him not to bother. He’ll be wasting his time and mine too” (10). As a woman with such dominant and assertive power, Mama Elena represents feminism throughout Esquivel’s novel because she takes control over circumstances that would traditionally be dominated by men, especially for the time in which the book takes