In Latin American countries, such as Mexico, hot chocolate is made not with milk, but with water instead. Water is boiled and chunks of milk chocolate are dropped in to melt. When someone is "like water for chocolate" it is comparable to saying they are at the boiling point, because that is the point water has to be at to make the hot chocolate. At this boiling point is Tita De La Garza in "Like Water for Chocolate," the film directed by Alfonso Arau from the novel written by Laura Esquivel. The inner fire of the individual constitutes an important theme in the film, and much of Tita's struggle centers on cultivating this fire. These uses of fire point toward a duality in its symbolism, as a source of strength and a force of destruction. The coupling of death and desire that occurs when the love between Tita and Pedro is freed epitomizes this duality. Tita struggles to gain independence and develop her identity. However, she also struggles in being true to the Mexican family tradition, which condemns Tita to take care of the spiteful Mama Elena until the day she dies. Esquivel offers an insight into the way women are restricted by standards of societal propriety maintained by other women. In the repression of feminine desire and its figuration as "tradition," Mama Elena and her ideas represent outdated patriarchal ideology. This absurd tradition shows the power it holds since Rosaura wanted to follow through with the same tradition that had made her sister so miserable. .
Therefore, tradition's rituals are embraced because to mankind it is something sacred like a religious belief that must be respected. Also, the appearance of decency as dictated by the patriarchal power structure to safeguard society's conventions no matter what the price. Furthermore, the film explores the repressive impact of tradition on women and a celebration of their willingness to break from tradition. For instance, Tita embraces tradition's rituals so much that she does not marry Pedro even after her mother's death.
