Esquivel has succeeded in asking questions of society over wether this is should be accepted in a modern society when we have so many resources at out command. Child abuse is often unnoticeable to an observer and Esquivel has imitated this in her novel. It creeps up on the reader and shocks them. The way the issues creep up on the reader creates a feeling of shame for me, that I had not noticed the signs, however subtle, at some earlier date. Mama Elena was constantly abusing Tita, emotionally and physically. Yet the incidents were made such a little deal of that I barely registered their occurrence, yet when the biggest beating came, I was able to string together the other incidents and see the pattern. Child abuse has been explored in a way that is stimulating and provocative. It is especially relevant to New Zealand society where family abuse is a significant issue.
An issue that was prominent in New Zealand society in the 40's was a womans" rights. As a nation we were among the foremost in declaring the right of a women to vote and have a say in her nations affairs. It was Kate Shepard who was the principle pioneer in this attitude. However there are still societies that keep women downtrodden and ensure they have a lesser status than a man. This is especially thought in the Middle East, where women are forced by law to be covered from head to toe in robes, where they receive little or no education, where they are a servant to their husband. While this attitude shocks many Western women and men, for them, it is just a way of life and to question this is almost beyond belief. Men are allowed to beat their wives and there is no retribution for what would be a criminal act in New Zealand. Also denied to a woman is the right to go out and work for a living, and the right to choose one owns husband. This runs parallel to the ideas expressed in Laura Esquivel's novel, with these things being denied to her.