Tradition vs. Revolution Theme Analysis

Like Water for Chocolate takes place during the Mexican Revolution, which challenged social and political systems and provided a context for individuals to question existing values and structures. It is against this national scene that the protagonist, Tita, and her sisters face their mother’s authority and their society’s expectations of women. The individual struggle to rebel, like the national struggle for liberation from the oligarchy (a government run by a few powerful people only), can be painful and tumultuous for the self and others.

The family unit is central to the traditional social order. Within the old system, children are accountable to their parents as their closest authority well into adulthood. From an early age, Tita and her sisters are taught to be obedient to their mother, Mama Elena, and to social rules concerning proper female behavior. Tita’s mother teaches her children that self-sacrifice and duty are expressions of love.

Tita’s mother tells her from a young age that she will never be allowed to marry or have her own family, due to a family tradition requiring that the youngest daughter dedicate her life to taking care of her mother until the mother dies. Believing she has no other choice, Tita resigns to a life of servitude to her mother, even when Pedro proposes to her in the beginning of the novel. Tita is often reprimanded by her mother for even the smallest forms of rebellion, including not performing household chores exactly as her mother likes or not addressing her as “Mami” in the right tone of voice.

The Revolution creates the catalyst for disorder and violence, which inevitably lead to suffering. The chaos brought by the fighting threatens the safety and wellbeing of communities, creating famine and making everyday life dangerous. Early on the novel, Roberto’s wet nurse dies by gunshot when she accidentally enters the crossfire. The disorder of the Revolution also inordinately affects the novel’s female characters. Early on a group of rebels invade Tita’s home, destroying her family’s food supplies. Later, a group of bandits take advantage of the chaos to attack the ranch. They beat Mama Elena and rape Chencha, the maid.

At the same time, the Revolution brings the promise of positive social change and liberation from unfair oligarchs and systems. Tita, who hates tyranny in all forms, supports the rebels. She hates the federal troops, who seize cities and cause entire towns to suffer while they fight to re-establish dominance. The Revolution provides the context for Tita’s sister Gertrudis to break through gender roles and reach powerful social status as a general. By achieving such a high rank in the rebel army, Gertrudis defies Mama Elena’s and society’s rules for women and builds a life outside of the patriarchy.

Like the political rebellion, individual rebellion can also create suffering and uncertainty, while still holding the promise of future liberation. Tita’s little rebellions against her mother as she grows up cause her pain, as she must face her mother’s harsh physical and emotional punishments for each expression of agency. When Tita asks her mother to reconsider her stance of continuing the family tradition, Mama Elena tells Tita that she isn’t allowed to have opinions, and gives Tita the silent treatment for a week. Mama Elena soon after offers Rosaura to Pedro, a move so cruel that it can only be seen as punishment for Tita’s attempt to challenge authority and tradition.

Tita’s eventual choice to start a sexual relationship with Pedro, whom she has always believed to be her true love, brings her great joy and ecstasy. By society’s definition, however, Tita’s relationship with Pedro is an illicit affair. After they begin their affair, Tita is so plagued with guilt that she becomes physically and emotionally distraught. In keeping with the novel’s magical realism, Tita’s shame manifests as a phantom pregnancy. It isn’t until after Tita faces Mama Elena’s ghost and declares that she “knows who she is” that Tita is relieved of her phantom pregnancy and her incessant guilt.

Ultimately, Tita’s actions show that for her, liberation is worth the price she must pay for it. She breaks off her engagement with Dr. John Brown, a kindhearted man who could offer her status and legitimacy as his wife. Instead, she chooses to stay with Pedro, even though that means keeping their relationship a secret and navigating Rosaura’s feelings and demands as his lawful wife. To her, being true to herself and following her heart is more important than social legitimacy, propriety, or society’s moral codes.

The novel doesn’t state whether the success of the Mexican Revolution absolves it of its violence. It does, however, make clear through the example of Tita that freedom should be fought for even if it comes at a cost. The suffering brought on from the struggle for liberation pales in comparison to the pain of remaining compliant to oppressive customs or traditional values.