Like Water For Chocolate Gender Analysis

In the novel Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquirel, Gertrudis represents the most opposite of feminine traditional values compared to her sisters Tita and Rosaura. Throughout the novel we get an insight on the abuse that Mama Elena has caused each of her children and the strict rules and traditional gender roles that they have learned to live with. The novel portrays the struggles that inhabit the De La Garza family and the trauma that they experience, along with strict gender customs that have been passed down throughout their generations. Outdated traditions are the source of Mama Elena’s pride, and strict household rules, which she implicates on her daughters along with everyone else who lives at the ranch. Elena always puts tradition

She is deeply attached to the family values and traditions dictated by Mama Elena, and personally resonates with them. Like Mama Elena, her main focus is appearances and what people think of her, due to her abundance of insecurities. Due to this, throughout the novel she is rarely seen creating deep connections with other characters. She is extremely closed off and stuck in Mama Elena’s ways, and seems to be an outcast in the family. Especially within her sisters, due to the fact that she married Pedro, knowing that he wasn’t in love with her and in fact in love with her youngest sister Tita. She did that knowing that it would hurt Tita terribly, all just because she will do anything to maintain her social status and appearance. That means having children with Pedro and giving off the impression that she has a husband and a happy family. Regardless if that means ridiculing herself for a man. She had no choice in using the nuptial white sheet to only expose the parts of her that are most “useful” to him. However, Rosaura never thinks to even challenge her mother’s traditions, or what claims society has placed on her, she is perfectly fine with Mama Elena dictating every aspect of her life for her. Unlike her sister Gertrudis, who has broken free from her mothers hold, and embraces and encourages rebellion. She has sex on her own terms and talks about it as she pleases without shame, and encourages other women to do the same. Whereas Rosaura upholds her mothers beliefs, and has destined her daughter Esperanza to never marry just like Tita, carrying down the horrible traditions Mama Elena forced upon them. As shown on page 150, “ … Rosaura explained to Alex that he couldn’t because, this little girl was destined to take care of her until the day she died, Tita felt her hair stand on end. Only Rosaura could have thought to perpetuate such an inhuman