Los Temas

Question 1

El amor

Answer 1

• The theme of love brings into play a range of negative and positive emotions in the characters such as betrayal, anger, jealously, delight and ecstasy
• The novel proclaims the power of the lovers’ passion to overcome all hurdles
• The contrast of heat (fire) and cold contributes to the theme of love. Heat represents the passion of love whilst cold represents the absence of love e.g. even the quilt cannot give Tita warmth and John advises Tita to stay away from cold people because they put out the fire we have within us.
• Love as fire is explored through the matches metaphor
• Gertrudis is touched by the heat of passion
• Love is seen as a powerful force for good for Chencha as she recovers from the humiliation of being raped when she is accepted in marriage

Question 2

La Gastronomia

Answer 2

• The preparation of food and the effect it has on those that eat it are the backbones of the narrative
• The story can only be told because Esperanza found her cookbook in the ruins of the ranch
• Tita was born in the kitchen
• Dishes are frequently linked to a celebration, such as a wedding or a festival
• Tita cannot escape the ranch because of her culinary duties and her obligation to look after her mother but she also finds the freedom to express herself in the act of cooking
• Tita’s emotions are communicated to the other characters through her cooking
• Cooking can also have the effect of raising spirits when morale is low . When Tita is at her lowest point and living at John’s house Chencha brings her caldo de colita de res which acts as medicine for her to recover

Question 3

La tradicion

Answer 3

• The force of tradition generates conflict throughout the novel
• The reputation of a family could be tarnished when one of its members behaved in a way that was deemed socially unacceptable e.g. Mama Elena disowns Gertrudis when she goes to the brothel
• The social behaviour of young people was dictated by a strict code, as prescribed by the Manual de Carren(accent)o
• Despite Tita’s desire to be free from social restrictions, for many years Tita remains obedient to the behaviour expected of her
• Although Pedro and Rosaura’s marriage is a charade, the family carries on as if it was normal, in order to satisfy conventional manners
• The traditions of the indigenous people of Mexico are strongly represented in two areas, food and medicine (Nacha and Luz del amanecer)

Question 4

La libertad del individuo

Answer 4

• Como agua para chocolate is the story of the struggle of an individual to free herslef from the shackles imposed by society, which has denied her marriage to the man she loves.
• Tita is portrayed as a woman who is capable of thinking for herself: the cruel denial of her freedom leads her to question the justice of traditional customs
• She finds a degree of freedom in her role as the family cook, expressing her emotions through food
• Tita confronts Mama Elena and her spirit leaves for good