Have you ever wondered why your friend has started to act differently? Drastic changes in our lives can cause fluctuations in our emotional states. Laura Esquivel displays a perfect example of this evolution in her book, "Like Water for Chocolate". .
The protagonist of the novel, Tita De La Garza, is the youngest daughter of Mama Elena. As the black sheep, Tita spends most of her time in the kitchen. Due to tradition, she is prohibited from marrying because she is obligated to take care of her mother. After reaching a breaking point, Tita shows a dynamic change of character, from despair and loneliness to strong-willed maturity and a passion for life.
Tita's caring and forgiving nature makes it easy for Mama Elena to control her like a puppet. Tita never feels a close mother-daughter bond, but instead believes that her mother "had repressed Tita her entire life." "(38) This quote summarizes Mama Elena's harsh and abusive relationship towards Tita. Sadly, Mama Elena also denies Pedro's love and marriage proposal to Tita. Instead, she forces him to marry Tita's sister Rosoura. This represses Tita even more. She starts to rebel by channeling her feelings into her creation of delicious meals, but soon, this strategy is not enough. Tita reaches a boiling point and this is when she truly begins to evolve as a person. .
Tita's deep love for Pedro and her growing hate towards Mama Elena, drives her to maturity. Mama Elena forces Pedro and Rosoura to move to San Antonio, Texas. Mama Elena becomes more and more cruel to Tita day by day. Tita starts to break down, and everything she once loved begins to annoy her, "even the [dove's] cooing she loved so much was annoying."(151) She doesn't want to experience or do anything until she feels strong enough. Following this realization, Tita changes her state of emotion by expressing her strength and standing up for herself.
Tita's sudden change of character creates a domino effect with all of the issues surrounding her.
