The Roles of Domineering Heads of Households
They are both domineering. They are both oppressive. They are both despotic. Esteban Trueba, in Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits, and Mama Elena, in Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate, are two very similar authoritarian characters in their nature and function in much the same manner. Allende's patriarch and Esquivel's matriarch assist in the development of other characters through their interactions with these characters and the response each character has to living in that autocrat's household. Allende and Esquivel first differ in their treatment of rebellion against the authoritarian heads of the families. In The House of the Spirits, Blanca rebels while still living in her father's household. She ignores her father's demands and does as she pleases behind his back. Blanca is thus developed in her reaction to the rule of her father; she acts against his will and stays around to suffer the consequences. She is strong and stubborn, unwilling to allow a situation to worry her. Gertrudis, in Like Water for Chocolate, runs away from home rather than rebel in Mama Elena's house and face her wrath and to obtain sexual freedom. She runs from the adversity and does not ever get to face her mother for she di
In the Trueba family, Esteban's violence and anger bring the rest of the family closer together, however, the under similar circumstances, the De la Garza family does not react in the same manner. The Trueba family gathers together when Esteban is angry and abusive. Together they make decisions on how to deal with him and they can face him better with the support of the rest of their family, including their mother. The family's response to Esteban's rage exhibits their bonds to each other and develops Clara to be a very strong character. She can not only stand up to her husband and his seething madness but also stand up for the rest of the family and inspire them to do the same. The De la Garza family does not come together under Mama Elena's rule and grows apart. Gertrudis leaves and Tita and Rosaura compete for Pedro's love. The family members are not close to each other and their despotic mother does not assist in their relationships as in The House of the Spirits. The only one who openly defies Mama Elena to her face is Tita, and she does not have any support as the Trueba family has in the aforementioned novel. Tita is thus illustrated to be the only strong member of the family for her ability to face her mother on her own. Esquival, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate. Trans. Carol and Thomas Christensen. New York: DoubleDay Publishing, 1989.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Mama Elena, Mama Elena's, Water Chocolate, Spirits Blanca, Elena Tita, Blanca Esteban, Elena Esteban, Tita Rosaura, mama elena, Transito Soto, Allende Esquivel, house spirits, de la garza, trueba family, water chocolate, mama elena's, rest family, garza family, family close, de la, la garza, la garza family,
Approximate Word count = 1096
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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