Water for Chocolate: Magical Realism 1-3

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The Mexican novel, Like Water for Chocolate is beautifully executed in the world of magic realism. Many scenes in this chapter contain themes, symbols, similes, and motifs to present magical realist details. Especially chapter two is a section where strong emotions are described. The main themes such as tradition, purity, and hopeless love are mentioned which further connects to previous and further chapters throughout the novel. The chapter starts off from the clashes between Tita and Mother Elena. As Tita is preparing for a weeding cake for Rosaura’s marriage to Pedro, Tita keeps beating eggs and her hands starts to tremble. Tita’s strong emotion is being described in this scene when the texts said, “her stomach was swooping like a kite on the wind.”(27) This is because she couldn’t no longer hide her outrage at her sister marrying Tita’s boyfriend. The author, Laura Esquirel emphasizes Tita’s anger by using a simile here, describing the pain of her heart as if a kite struck into her stomach. Of course, Mother Elena didn’t accept her disrespect towards herself so she slaps her face from the outburst of rage. Elena once again warns Tita to behave and there is no second chance. Finally Tita couldn’t tolerate her strong feelings and shouts out, “there’s a chicken inside the egg!”(28). Here, we see an important theme and a motif. Tradition and power is being described here. The dictator-like mother is enforcing the family tradition that Tita who is the youngest daughter has to follow the rules that has been practiced for years. Being emotionally oppressed by Elena, Tita is plagued by hallucinations that there is a chicken. Moreover, we see a motif of food. Tita screams there is a chicken. The beating of chicken is stated in the text, “making an incision over the chicken’s testicles, sticking your finger in to get a hold if them and pulling them out.”(27) The chicken

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