Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel of Love, Family, and Tradition
Pedro Muzquiz: Pedro is a young, passionate man, unlike his patient and contemplative father. The same night he met Tita at a party, he decided to propose marriage but waited for the right opportunity. After romantic walks through Piedras Negras, Pedro and Tita set a one-year period to tell Elena and ask for her hand in marriage. But the night he planned to do so, Elena Muzquiz proposed that Pedro marry Rosaura instead. To remain near Tita, Pedro agreed. He didn’t fulfill his husbandly duties, not consummating the marriage for months due to pressure. He never had the courage to act, rarely considering the repercussions of his actions. He never dared to elope with Tita or openly declare his love, even after Mama Elena’s death. He didn’t even leave Elena. As the novel doesn’t mention a Mrs. Muzquiz, I assume his maternal authority stemmed from losing his mother or her absence. His inexperience with women and their anatomy made him somewhat rustic in expressing his desires for Tita. He was delirious for a long time over a part of her calf he’d seen or staring at Tita’s breasts while she cooked. Without disdain, Pedro helped Tita explore her body, and when he deflowered her, he used little force because Tita didn’t resist his attitude. A child pretending to be the man of the house, Pedro constantly had tantrums about sharing Tita with others (represented by John), yet he also resented the lack of time alone with her. His love was so intense and tempestuous that their separation was significant. Pedro never voiced his feelings outside their private circle until Esperanza’s wedding, where he danced romantically with Tita in front of everyone, showing his love regardless of others.
Gertrudis De La Garza, Elena’s second daughter (daughter of the mulatto, Trevino), was a wild, passionate woman, curious about herself and life beyond societal norms. Always rebellious, Gertrudis succumbed to the temptation of the quail-in-rose sauce Tita made, developing an intimacy with Pedro. To cool the heat in her lower abdomen, she took a dip in the backyard shower. But her sensuality and desire were so intense that even the water couldn’t cool her, magically represented by evaporating water droplets. Passionate and warm, she inflamed the shower room. She left home with a rebel guard, Captain Juan Alejandrez (who returned months later), riding away and making love at a gallop. Gertrudis went to a brothel, appeasing her desires. After months of lust, she sought Juan Alejandrez and married him, but not before joining the rebel army and becoming a General. Always calculating but honest, Gertrudis ensured Pedro learned of Tita’s pregnancy and advised her sister before returning to battle.
The kitchen is a liberating, peaceful space, a link of communication and love between characters. According to the author, “You are what you eat, who eats you, and how you eat.” The kitchen, traditionally associated with women and relegated in patriarchal culture, takes on special importance. The book portrays the kitchen as a place of pleasure, desire, and power, paralleling cooking, writing, and eroticism. Some themes include:
- The kitchen as a place of life and eroticism
- Preservation of family history
- Women’s roles and freedom of choice
- Critique of patriarchal society
- Consuming passion
- Confrontation between prohibition and passion
- Women’s role in preserving tradition
Rosaura: Pedro’s wife, whom he didn’t love. Silly, a poor cook, and unable to raise her children. Introverted, sad, and risk-averse, she lived a miserable life until her death from digestive problems; she had bad breath and couldn’t control her gas. Tita’s older sister and mother of Roberto and Esperanza.
Tita: Raised by the cook, Nacha, Tita was practically born in the kitchen. Unlike her sisters, she was sensitive, romantic, suffering, innocent, and real. The protagonist, she was in love with Pedro from a young age. The book tells her story, her suffering, and feelings. A magnificent cook, she is the daughter of Mama Elena and sister of Rosaura and Gertrudis.
Mama Elena: Strict and restrained, she had a sad past with her beloved and suffered greatly. Her misery affected Tita, her youngest daughter. The owner of the ranch, she was a strong, straightforward woman, mother of Rosaura, Gertrudis, and Tita. Totalitarian and rigid, she followed tradition, wanting Tita to remain single to care for her. She also loved a man she didn’t marry. At the ranch, she killed bandits when Tita was at Dr. John’s home.