Has anyone noticed that when most of De La Garza family died (Pedro, Tita, Elena, Rosaura, Nacha, Roberto), and the ranch burnt down, the cook book still survived?
I think that this cook book symbolizes that even when people die, the cooking of a family will survive. And somehow, when the recipes of a family passes on, so does the essence and history of the family. The author further backs this up by having Esperanza’s daughter tell the story of a huge family of people that she’s never met. And she through Tita’s stories, she connects herself to the De La Garza family. This is shown when Esperanza’s daughter says “…Or why my tears flow so freely when I prepare them – perhaps I am as sensitive to onions as Tita, my great-aunt, who will go on living as long as someone cooks her recipes” p246.
This connection to Tita is repeated on p1 when the narrator says “Mama used to say it was because I was especially sensitive to onions, like my great-aunt, Tita”.
The last page emphasizes the fact that Esperanza’s daughter is very much like Tita and even points out that Tita lives in her recipes, which could be expanded to that Tita lives in Esperanza’s daughter who cooks her recipes. It specifically shows that food not only connects a family together physically; it also connects generations and ties in the history of a family.
January 24, 2007 at 3:23 am
The kitchen is a reminder of Tita and all the happy and sad memories. When Tita was happy, the food that she made, gave that emotion when others ate it and it had great results. However, when Tita was sad, she was also cooking at times and her cooking caused catastrophes. (e.g. the vomitting at Rosaura’s wedding) As Ms. Whyte said, the kitchen is the “heart of the house” and so the cook book represents the kitchen and represents the family. A house that the De La Garza family has lived in for generations and so has many memories. The cook book is similar to a diary that a normal person would cook. A diary tells the reader events in a person’s life. However the book LWFC is created similar to a cook book and tells the life of Tita. For Tita that cook book is her diary, each recipe represents a major event in her life.
January 24, 2007 at 3:28 am
This is a good point, but I think the cookbook can also symbolize how conflicts such as Tita’s will always exist in this world, and that perhaps an end like Tita’s will always happen, as well.
I disagree about how Esperanza’s daughter is like Tita, however. Tita’s great-niece has a good, supportive mother (probably, anyways, since Esperanza knows how it feels to be oppressed and denied love – love of her mother and the consummation of her love with Alex) who won’t be racial discriminant (because Alex is “mulatto” after all). Tita lived a life of hardships, but her grand-niece probably lived a very sweet and fulfilled life.
The cookbook can also symbolize how the struggle of people’s ancestors (Tita, in this case) can result in the better lives of their descendants (Esperanza and her daughter, in this case). This seems to tie in with why the story is set up during a revolution, too – the people who fought in the revolution gave their children the hope of better lives.
January 24, 2007 at 3:32 am
Most of the magic realism within Like Water for Chocolate is related to food, or in particular, Tita’ food. Her dishes can make people terribly ill, sad, and even fill people with sexual desire. So, another reason for the cookbook not being burned is to stress the magic of Tita’s cooking and the importance of food.
January 24, 2007 at 3:43 am
Sorry, I just re-read my comment, and realized that it doesn’t make much sense — the second paragraph, anyways. I also made a mistake about Alex. Sorry! I have rewritten it here, just in case anyone actually cares.
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I disagree about how Esperanza’s daughter being like Tita, however. Tita’s great-niece has a good, supportive mother (probably, anyways, since Esperanza knows how it feels to be oppressed and denied love – love from her mother and the chance to love Alex) who won’t be racial discriminant (because Esperanza’s aunt [Gertrudis] is a descent of a man of colour, after all). Tita lived a life of hardships, but her grand-niece probably lived a very sweet and fulfilled life.
January 24, 2007 at 3:57 am
Yes, it’s quite significant that the book remains intact while the whole ranch is burnt down. I think that more specifically, it represents the essence and history of the family passed down through the maternal side of the family and other women involved in cooking. It shows the contributions of women in the family (in those times), and also the importance of food for the family. Once again, the cook book’s survival is also a symbolic token to Tita’s strong spirit.
In response to Haonan’s comment, I’d also like to point out that the book not being burnt while the whole ranch was is magic realism itself. It isn’t just a preservation of the food that had magic realism.