FREE ESSAY ON LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE

LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE

Laura Esquirel's, Like Water for Chocolate, is a modern day Romeo and Juliet filled with
mouthwatering recipes. It has become a valued part of American literature. The novel
became so popular that it was developed into a film, becoming a success in both America
and Mexico. Alfonso Arau directs the film. After reading the novel and seeing the movie,
I discovered several distinct differences between the two as well as some riveting
similarities. The novel begins with the main character, Tita, being born on the kitchen
table. "Tita had no need for the usual slap on the bottom, because she was already crying
as she emerged; maybe that was because she knew that it would be her lot in life to be
denied marriage ...Tita was literally washed into this world on a great tide of tears
that spilled over the edge of the table and flooded across the kitchen floor" (Esquirel
6). Although this is included in the film with tremendous accuracy, the movie begins with
a different scene. The movie opens with Tita's father going to a bar to celebrate the
birth of his daughter. On the way a friend informs him of his wife's, Mama Elena, affair
with a man having Negro blood in his veins. The terrible news brings on a heart attack
killing him instantly. In the book, this information is not given until the middle
chapters. As the novel continues, another character is introduced, Gertrudis. Gertrudis,
the older sister of Tita, is the first to rebel against her mother's wishes. Wanting to
escape the securities of home, Gertrudis is overwhelmed by her lustful passions. A
soldier, not too far away, Juan, inhales the aroma of her desire and heads her way. "The
aroma from Gertrudis' body guided him...The woman desperately needed a man to quench the
red-hot fire that was raging inside her...Gertrudis stopped running when she saw him
riding toward her. Naked as she was, with her loosened hair falling to her waist,
luminous, glowing with energy, she might have been an angel and devil in one
woman...Without slowing his gallop, so as not to waste a moment, he leaned over, put his
arm around her waist, and lifted her onto the horse in front of him, face to face, and
carried her away...The movement of the horse combined with the movement of their bodies
as they made love for the first time, at a gallop and with a great deal of difficulty "
(Esquirel 55). This imagery is tremendous. Every sense that Esquirel touches in this
passage is illuminated in the movie with perfection. It's as though Arau took a picture
from Esquirel's mind as she wrote and cultivated it to film. Later in Esquirel's novel,
Rosalio announces to Mama Elena that a group of soldiers are approaching the ranch. Mama
Elena picks up her shotgun and hides it under her petticoat. She meets the
revolutionaries, along with two other women, at the entrance of the home. Mama Elena
warns the soldiers not to enter the house. The Captain of the bandits sees the grit and
determination in Mama Elena's eyes and agrees not to enter. However, the regiment does
manage to round up some feed before leaving. In contrast, the movie at this point agrees
with the revolutionaries entering the ranch, but disagrees with the rest of the events,
possibly to add some action. First, Mama Elena confronts the bandits but with only one
other lady by her side. Secondly, after a verbal confrontation, the rebels proceed to
rape the lady friend, beat Mama Elena unconscious, and throw her in the lake, killing
her. According to the novel, Mama Elena doesn't die until later in the book, from a drug
overdose. "At first, Tita and John had no explanation for this strange death, since
clinically Mama Elena had no other malady than her paralysis. But going through her
bureau, they found the bottle of syrup of ipecac and they deduced that Mama Elena must
have taken it secretly. John informed Tita that it was a very strong emetic that could
cause death" (Esquirel 135). Soon after Mama Elena's death Gertrudis returns to the
ranch. In Esquirel's tale Gertrudis rides up on a horse at the head of the revolutionary
soldiers. Tita finds out that Gertrudis is in charge of the troops. Unaware of her
mother's death, Gertrudis has come back to show Mama Elena that she has triumphed in
life. However, despite some parallels, the movie shows Gertrudis returning to the ranch
in a car. Undoubtedly, giving the audience a greater sense of the prodigal sister's
success. Believing her mother's death would release her from the shackles of tradition,
Tita began reaching out to Pedro, her Romeo, whom Mama Elena had forbid her to see.
Nevertheless, Esquirel allows Mama Elena to continue nagging Tita from beyond the grave.
"See what you've done now? You and Pedro are shameless. If you don't want blood to flow
in this house, go where you can't do any harm to anybody, before it's to late"(Esquirel
199). Tita responds by telling Mama Elena she hates her and to leave her alone. With
these words Mama Elena disappears forever. Esquirel's description of the ghost is vague,
"The imposing figure of her mother began to shrink until it became no more than a tiny
light"(Esquirel 199). Unlike the novel, the movie does a great job of adding a certain
mystique around the ghost. The ghostly clone of Mama Elena, created by the Arau, adds a
thrilling touch by using the human element of fear. Toward the end of the novel, Tita and
Pedro are finally united in the throws of passion. The descriptive nature that Esquirel
uses leaves a perfect picture of the surroundings, and inhales the reader into believing
himself to be a peeping tom. "The silk sheets and bedspread were white, like the floral
rug that covered the floor and the 250 candles that lit up the now inappropriately named
dark room...Pedro placed Tita on the bed and slowly removed her clothing, piece by
piece...The striking of the brass headboard against the wall and the guttural sounds that
escaped from both of them mixed with the sound of the thousand doves flying free above
them" (Esquirel 243). Arau's interpretation incorporates all of Esquirel's eloquent
artistry in perfect harmony. Arau's vision brings Like Water for Chocolate to the climax
which Esquirel had intended, leaving the audience in awe. Other differences, not
discussed above, include Tita being shown in the movie as an average looking woman. The
impression that the novel leaves is a woman that is breathtaking to the senses, a
goddess. Of course, this opinion is subject to personal taste. As someone once said,
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Another striking difference between the movie and
the book is that both are developed by different sexes. This obviously could effect the
compare and contrast views of this paper. For example, being male, I found that the two
images that left the greatest impression were of sexual nature, Gertrudis making love
with the soldier, and Tita being intimate with Pedro. The different views of the sexes
may also be the answer to some of the contrasts between the movie and novel. For
instance, the death of Mama Elena. Esquirel's version fits the emotional death, suicide,
geared toward the female audience, while Arau's shows a more sexual and violent death,
extinguishing the male desire for action. In conclusion, I found the novel more
entertaining than the movie. The reason the movie fell short in expectations is because
Esquirel does a great job in allowing the reader to draw on their imaginations. However,
Arau is able to capture this imagery occasionally throughout the movie. Furthermore, most
of the changes added to the movie were grand, which added to the thrill and plot of the
story. Overall, both are memorable and deserve their legacyLaura Esquirel's, Like Water
for Chocolate, is a modern day Romeo and Juliet filled with mouthwatering recipes. It has
become a valued part of American literature. The novel became so popular that it was
developed into a film, becoming a success in both America and Mexico. Alfonso Arau
directs the film. After reading the novel and seeing the movie, I discovered several
distinct differences between the two as well as some riveting similarities. The novel
begins with the main character, Tita, being born on the kitchen table. "Tita had no need
for the usual slap on the bottom, because she was already crying as she emerged; maybe
that was because she knew that it would be her lot in life to be denied marriage ...Tita
was literally washed into this world on a great tide of tears that spilled over the edge
of the table and flooded across the kitchen floor" (Esquirel 6). Although this is
included in the film with tremendous accuracy, the movie begins with a different scene.
The movie opens with Tita's father going to a bar to celebrate the birth of his daughter.
On the way a friend informs him of his wife's, Mama Elena, affair with a man having Negro
blood in his veins. The terrible news brings on a heart attack killing him instantly. In
the book, this information is not given until the middle chapters. As the novel
continues, another character is introduced, Gertrudis. Gertrudis, the older sister of
Tita, is the first to rebel against her mother's wishes. Wanting to escape the securities
of home, Gertrudis is overwhelmed by her lustful passions. A soldier, not too far away,
Juan, inhales the aroma of her desire and heads her way. "The aroma from Gertrudis' body
guided him...The woman desperately needed a man to quench the red-hot fire that was
raging inside her...Gertrudis stopped running when she saw him riding toward her. Naked
as she was, with her loosened hair falling to her waist, luminous, glowing with energy,
she might have been an angel and devil in one woman...Without slowing his gallop, so as
not to waste a moment, he leaned over, put his arm around her waist, and lifted her onto
the horse in front of him, face to face, and carried her away...The movement of the horse
combined with the movement of their bodies as they made love for the first time, at a
gallop and with a great deal of difficulty " (Esquirel 55). This imagery is tremendous.
Every sense that Esquirel touches in this passage is illuminated in the movie with
perfection. It's as though Arau took a picture from Esquirel's mind as she wrote and
cultivated it to film. Later in Esquirel's novel, Rosalio announces to Mama Elena that a
group of soldiers are approaching the ranch. Mama Elena picks up her shotgun and hides it
under her petticoat. She meets the revolutionaries, along with two other women, at the
entrance of the home. Mama Elena warns the soldiers not to enter the house. The Captain
of the bandits sees the grit and determination in Mama Elena's eyes and agrees not to
enter. However, the regiment does manage to round up some feed before leaving. In
contrast, the movie at this point agrees with the revolutionaries entering the ranch, but
disagrees with the rest of the events, possibly to add some action. First, Mama Elena
confronts the bandits but with only one other lady by her side. Secondly, after a verbal
confrontation, the rebels proceed to rape the lady friend, beat Mama Elena unconscious,
and throw her in the lake, killing her. According to the novel, Mama Elena doesn't die
until later in the book, from a drug overdose. "At first, Tita and John had no
explanation for this strange death, since clinically Mama Elena had no other malady than
her paralysis. But going through her bureau, they found the bottle of syrup of ipecac and
they deduced that Mama Elena must have taken it secretly. John informed Tita that it was
a very strong emetic that could cause death" (Esquirel 135). Soon after Mama Elena's
death Gertrudis returns to the ranch. In Esquirel's tale Gertrudis rides up on a horse at
the head of the revolutionary soldiers. Tita finds out that Gertrudis is in charge of the
troops. Unaware of her mother's death, Gertrudis has come back to show Mama Elena that
she has triumphed in life. However, despite some parallels, the movie shows Gertrudis
returning to the ranch in a car. Undoubtedly, giving the audience a greater sense of the
prodigal sister's success. Believing her mother's death would release her from the
shackles of tradition, Tita began reaching out to Pedro, her Romeo, whom Mama Elena had
forbid her to see. Nevertheless, Esquirel allows Mama Elena to continue nagging Tita from
beyond the grave. "See what you've done now? You and Pedro are shameless. If you don't
want blood to flow in this house, go where you can't do any harm to anybody, before it's
to late"(Esquirel 199). Tita responds by telling Mama Elena she hates her and to leave
her alone. With these words Mama Elena disappears forever. Esquirel's description of the
ghost is vague, "The imposing figure of her mother began to shrink until it became no
more than a tiny light"(Esquirel 199). Unlike the novel, the movie does a great job of
adding a certain mystique around the ghost. The ghostly clone of Mama Elena, created by
the Arau, adds a thrilling touch by using the human element of fear. Toward the end of
the novel, Tita and Pedro are finally united in the throws of passion. The descriptive
nature that Esquirel uses leaves a perfect picture of the surroundings, and inhales the
reader into believing himself to be a peeping tom. "The silk sheets and bedspread were
white, like the floral rug that covered the floor and the 250 candles that lit up the now
inappropriately named dark room...Pedro placed Tita on the bed and slowly removed her
clothing, piece by piece...The striking of the brass headboard against the wall and the
guttural sounds that escaped from both of them mixed with the sound of the thousand doves
flying free above them" (Esquirel 243). Arau's interpretation incorporates all of
Esquirel's eloquent artistry in perfect harmony. Arau's vision brings Like Water for
Chocolate to the climax which Esquirel had intended, leaving the audience in awe. Other
differences, not discussed above, include Tita being shown in the movie as an average
looking woman. The impression that the novel leaves is a woman that is breathtaking to
the senses, a goddess. Of course, this opinion is subject to personal taste. As someone
once said, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Another striking difference between
the movie and the book is that both are developed by different sexes. This obviously
could effect the compare and contrast views of this paper. For example, being male, I
found that the two images that left the greatest impression were of sexual nature,
Gertrudis making love with the soldier, and Tita being intimate with Pedro. The different
views of the sexes may also be the answer to some of the contrasts between the movie and
novel. For instance, the death of Mama Elena. Esquirel's version fits the emotional
death, suicide, geared toward the female audience, while Arau's shows a more sexual and
violent death, extinguishing the male desire for action. In conclusion, I found the novel
more entertaining than the movie. The reason the movie fell short in expectations is
because Esquirel does a great job in allowing the reader to draw on their imaginations.
However, Arau is able to capture this imagery occasionally throughout the movie.
Furthermore, most of the changes added to the movie were grand, which added to the thrill
and plot of the story. Overall, both are memorable and deserve their legacy