Like Water for Chocolate

by

Laura Esquivel

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Water for Chocolate makes teaching easy.

The Supernatural/ Magic/ Strange Events

As is characteristic for the genre of magical realism, Like Water For Chocolate blurs the line between reality and the supernatural. In the novel, when emotions are repressed or escalated, everyday actions and events…

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Heat and Fire

Fire in the novel represents the effects of love and passion on the human spirit. According to the philosophy of Morning Light, each person is born with a box of matches inside their body…

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Coldness/ Chills

Coldness, in contrast with fire, represents the condition of the spirit without love. When Tita feels cold, it is always because she is feeling desolate and hopeless. Often, she feels cold when she has…

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Tita’s Bedspread

Tita’s bedspread represents her resilient sense of survival and hope. Tita begins making the blanket after Pedro first expresses his plans to propose marriage, intending to have it ready for their matrimonial bed. After Pedro…

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Crying/ Tears

Abundant crying is an expression of a full heart, and is associated with the power and richness of female emotions. Tita’s tears have supernatural power, even before she is born. From the womb, she cries…

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