What does Mama Elena represent in Like Water for Chocolate?
The tyrannical, widowed matriarch of the De La Garza clan, Mama Elena is the prime source of Tita’s suffering. Her fierce temperament inspires fear in all three of her daughters.
Who is Elena’s husband Like Water for Chocolate?
She is the wife of Juan De la Garza and the mother of Tita, Rosaura, and Gertrudis.
What is unique about the way Mama Elena cuts up a watermelon?
What is unique about the way Mama Elena cuts up a watermelon? She precisely slices the rind, drops it so it opens like a flower that leaves the heart intact on the table…
What ritual does Tita have to do for Mama Elena once a week Like Water for Chocolate?
Returning to the night of the chorizos, Tita is called to bathe Mama Elena, as she is every week. Unable to concentrate, she heats the water too much and ruins the clothes she must wash and heat up for Mama Elena.
Where does Mama Elena want to send Tita after her rebellion in May?
an asylum
Mama Elena orders Tita to be sent to an asylum. Dr. John Brown rescues Tita from the dovecote and takes her away.
Why does Mama Elena not like Tita?
She tells the story of Tita’s forbidden love with Pedro who marries her older sister Rosaura and other important details of Tita’s life. Mama Elena’s treatment of Tita is not out of love, because she doesn’t show Tita any affection, she is always degrading Tita, and doesn’t take her feelings into consideration at all.
What do Tita and Mama Elena have in common?
As with most literary pairings, Tita and Mama Elena share a central characteristic that defines both their individual struggles and their conflict with each other. The revelation that Mama Elena herself suffered the pangs of lost love is an important thematic complement to Tita’s deprivation.
Does Mama Elena love or hate Tita?
She also endures the problems with love and family traditions. Mama Elena’s treatment of Tita is not out of love, because she doesn’t show Tita any affection, she is always degrading Tita, and doesn’t take her feelings into consideration at all.
What is the main message of Like Water for Chocolate?
One of the major themes in this novel is being responsible, not only for the traditions of your family, but also for your own actions. Tita has to do as tradition says and take care of her mother and then her nephew. In time she takes on the fight for her niece, Esperanza, to have the right marry.
Why is Mama Elena harsh on Tita?
Throughout the book Tita suffers from the abuse of Mama Elena. She also endures the problems with love and family traditions. Mama Elena’s treatment of Tita is not out of love, because she doesn’t show Tita any affection, she is always degrading Tita, and doesn’t take her feelings into consideration at all.
Who is Jose Trevino Like Water for Chocolate?
Jose Treviño is Mama Elena’s secret lover and childhood sweetheart. He is described as “mulatto” because his father was Mexican and his mother was black, the child of escaped slaves from the Unites States. He is the biological father of Gertrudis. By the time Tita discovers their affair, Treviño is already dead.
What is the meaning of Like Water for Chocolate?
Meaning of title The phrase “like water for chocolate” comes from the Spanish phrase como agua para chocolate. This is a common expression in many Spanish-speaking countries, and it means that one’s emotions are on the verge of boiling over.