Like Water for Chocolate and Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Essay Example

In “Like Water for Chocolate,” Tita’s main dilemma is her duty and responsibility in maintaining the family tradition. In her family, the youngest daughter is not allowed to marry to be able to take care of the matriarch during old age. This requires Tita to stay single, thereby rejecting Pedro’s proposal of marriage. Turning her back on this tradition is tantamount to society looking at her as an ingrate and irresponsible daughter. This family tradition is also deeply rooted in Rosaura --- Tita’s elder sister who eventually marries Pedro. Rosaura thinks of preventing her only daughter, Esperanza, from getting married to Alex Brown to keep the family tradition and to secure her own well-being in old age. Tita feels that this tradition is unfair, particularly because she is in love with Pedro, and also because she is wondering who will take care of her in old age if she cannot have children (Herman and Esquivel 3-6).
In “Chronicle of a Death Foretold,” the same high regard for family tradition is shown. This demonstrates the significance of cultural values in Latin-American societies. As much as the family traditions affected Tita’s life in “Like Water for Chocolate,” traditions also play a big part in the life of Angela in “Death of a Chronicle Foretold.” Here, we see Angela being subject to an arranged marriage and being returned to her family when her husband found out she is no longer a virgin. We see how society looks at a woman’s worth based on standards set by the tradition and culture of the society. Even the statement of the milkman’s wife about the Vicario brothers’ intention to kill Santiago is not taken seriously by anyone precisely because she is a woman. The Vicario brothers’ do not even consider that the sex act that occurred between Angela and Santiago might have been consensual, because, in their society, they believe that it is impossible for women to act in a “not so ladylike” manner, thereby putting the blame all on Santiago (Watson 5-6).
Oppression of Women
Tita’s oppression can be felt when she is obliged to follow her mother’s wishes to fulfill her responsibilities as the youngest daughter in the family. Tita’s mother, Mama Elena, is an authoritative figure who expects Tita to obey her harsh demands without any question (Herman and Esquivel 7). Despite Tita’s obedience, particularly when she rejects Pedro’s proposal, Mama Elena is still harsh on Tita compared to her other daughters because she thinks Tita never respected her properly (Herman and Esquivel 13). Without even consideration to Tita’s feelings, she makes her sew the wedding dress and cook for the wedding feast of Pedro and Rosaura’s wedding. When the cook dies, Tita is obliged to take over the cooking of the meals on the ranch, leaving Tita with little time for herself (Herman and Esquivel 23).
Angela, although her ordeal is different from Tita’s, goes through the same oppression due to gender. Firstly, she grew up with the idea that men will love women who grew up suffering from difficult chores because the basis of marriage is the woman’s beauty and ability to do household chores (Watson 11). Love is out of the question. The narrator’s description of Angela’s deteriorating appearance over the years, lessening her chances of marriage in the eyes of the people, is a case in point. When Angela wants to feel valued and when her fiancé does not appear to really court her, she feels irritated with it. She expresses her unwillingness to enter into a fixed marriage with someone she does not like, but her family disregards her objections (Watson 17). In both novels, there are a blatant disregard for the woman's feelings and opinions even from family members.
Cruelty and Violence as Means to Enforce Traditions
Tita is often subject to cruelty and physical abuse from Mama Elena whenever the latter forces obedience out of Tita. With the obvious pain that Tita feels over losing Pedro to her sister, the responsibility of carrying out the perfect wedding feast is a major sign of cruelty towards her. When Tita protests, even slightly, Mama Elena hurts Tita physically (Herman and Esquivel 31-2). In the case of Angela, being returned to her family by her husband because she is no longer a virgin is another type of cruelty. Imagine the humiliation the woman would feel when she is rejected by her husband after their first night. Eventually, her family resorted to cruelty to avenge their honor --- resulting in the murder of the person who supposedly took Angela’s virginity (Watson 24).
Conclusion: Gender Roles
In conclusion, both novels present how society looks at the roles of women --- domestic, selfless nurturers who should place other people’s needs over their own. Read More