Like Water for Chocolate Feb-June

Like Water for Chocolate Discussion Questions Feb-June

April 18, 2015

1. Even though she protests, Tita ends up accepting the reality Mama Elena has set for her. Her duties and responsibilities are set because of her role as a woman. Find an example of a time when Tita rebelled against traditional gender roles to show her inner strength. [Look towards the end of "February"] What is the significance of this scene? What does it show us about Tita's character? (You may relate this to the idea of independence and revolution)
 -During the wedding, Tita knew what everyone was saying about her, and did her best to act as if nothing was bothering her. She did this to show her inner strength and rebelled a bit in her own way.
-The scenes that Tita recalled when she played hooky with the other boys and the time she pushed some men aside to control a group of horses. This portrays Tita as a strong and ambitious individual, but the sad part is that these are the only two moments in her life where she seems to exhibit those qualities. Tita is to oppressed by Mama Elena to do anything with herself besides cook and care for Mama Elena.

2. Using the relationships you've seen so far (Rosaura & Pedro, Tita & Pedro, Gertrudis & Juan Alejandrez, Tita & John), explore the theme of Love, Desire, and Passion. Which category does each couple fit into? More than one? Now consider John's warning on pg 116 that begins, "You must of course take care to light..." through "leaving the body lifeless...." How does this quote apply to the aforementoined theme?
-Rosaura/Pedro: Love. Pedro and Rosaura do not have much desire or passion in their relationship but they do love each other mostly just because they are married to each other.
-Tita/Pedro: Desire,Passion. These two desire to be with each other greatly, and there is passion between them whenever they are around each other, but their love has faded away.
Gertrudis/Juan: Passion. Juan and Gertrudis do not love each other nor desire to actually be with each other. They only had that moment of physical affection in their relationship, nothing more.
Tita/John: Love. John cares for Tita greatly and does love her, but Tita only likes the comfort John gives her and has not really grown to love him all that much yet.
-The quote applies to the theme in the sense that overwhelming a relationship with a crazy amount of passion can cause your soul to desire what it cannot reach, and the love eventually diminishes.