Like Water for Chocolate1
Like Water for Chocolate was published in 1989 and in 1990 became a number one bestseller in Mexico. It was written by Laura Esquivel. This novel is separated into twelve chapters, one for each month of the year. Each chapter begins with the careful instructions to one of the protagonist's recipes. In this novel the mother, Mama Elena, is a person who is filled with anger because her parents did not allowed to marry the person she loved and was then forced to marry another man. She took out her anger on her daughters. This novel shows the reader how Mama Elena's life of frustrated love took its toll on her three daughters. In some Mexican families there is a tradition that instructs that the youngest daughter not marry. That daughter was to remain at home to care for her mother. The narrator of this novel tells the story of her great-aunt Tita. Tita was the youngest daughter of Mama Elena. Mama Elena observed this tradition. When Tita was fifteen she fell in love with a young man named Pedro. She knew of the tradition, but she hoped that her mother would allow her to marry Pedro. When Pedro came to ask for Tita's hand in marriage Mama Elena politely explained why it was impossible for
Mama Elena's frustration and anger affected each daughter in different ways and in different magnitudes. She had let it influence the way she raised her daughters and treated them. Many years after Mama Elena died, so did Rosaura. Tita had been having an affair with Pedro for about twenty years at the time. Rosaura had known and was fine with it. Tita had helped Pedro and Rosaura raise Esperanza. When Rosaura had died, Pedro and Tita were able to finally be together. After years and years of waiting they no longer had to worry about Mama Elena or any tradition. Gertrudis, the oldest daughter was an obedient person and also a defiant person. She was an obedient person while she lived with Mama Elena. She listened to what Mama Elena said. Then came the day where she ran away with a soldier from Pancho Villa's army. She later had to go work at a brothel. When Mama Elena learned about this she burned all of Gertrudis' possessions and didn't want to here her name mentioned anymore. Year's later Gertrudis returned to the ranch to discover that Mama Elena had died. She had returned to the ranch with the intention of showing Mama Elena how she had triumphed in life. She was a general in the revolutionary army. Gertrudis had wanted to show Mama Elena that she had done something with her life because Mama Elena had made her feel like she would never be able to do anything with her life. Rosa
Some common words found in the essay are:
Mama Elena, Mama Elena's, mama elena, Pedro Tita, Elena Tita, Rosaura Tita, Laura Esquivel, Elena Gertrudis, Water Chocolate, Pedro Rosaura, Here's I'm, pedro tita, mama elena tita, rosaura tita, pedro agreed, obedient person, life mama, i'm sick, marry rosaura, tita hate, cooking mama elena, mama elena died, cooking mama,
Approximate Word count = 948
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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