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Like Water For Chocolate By Esquirel Essay

, Research Paper


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.

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