Laura Esquivel is a Mexican author best known for her novel Like Water for Chocolate. The novel, published in 1989, uses magical realism to tell the story of Tita, a young woman forbidden to marry due to Mexican family tradition. Each chapter is preceded by a Mexican recipe and describes how Tita expresses her emotions through cooking. The book was adapted into a successful film and helped establish Esquivel as an important voice in Latin American literature.

1. by Laura
Esquivel

2. Laura Esquivel is a Mexican author making a
noted contribution to Latin-American literature.
She was born the third of four children of Julio
Cesar Esquivel, a telegraph operator, and Josefa
Valdes.
In her first novel Like Water for
Chocolate (1989), Esquivel uses magical realism
to combine the ordinary and the supernatural,
similar to Isabel Allende. The novel, taking place
during the revolution in early twentieth century
Mexico, shows the importance of the kitchen in
Esquivel's life. The book is divided into twelve
sections, named after the months of the year,
each section beginning with a Mexican recipe.
The chapters outline the preparation of the dish
and ties it to an event in the protagonist's life.

3. Esquivel believes that the kitchen is the most important part of the
house and characterizes it as a source of knowledge and
understanding that brings pleasure. The "title refers to a colloquial
phrase used by the Spanish that means an extremity of feeling. It
refers to a boiling point in terms of anger, passion and sexuality."
The idea for the book came to Esquivel "while she was cooking the
recipes of her mother and grandmother." Reportedly, Esquivel ...
used an episode from her own family to write her book. She
had a great-aunt named Tita, who was forbidden to wed. Tita never
did anything but care for her own mother. Soon after her mother
died, so did Tita.
Like Water for Chocolate was developed into a film in 1994,
becoming one of the largest grossing foreign films ever released in
the US. Esquivel earned 11 Ariel Awards from the Mexican
Academy of Motion Pictures.

4. Other writings
Esquivel's second novel, The Law of Love (1996), takes
place in the twenty-third century Mexico City and combines
romance and science fiction. Reportedly, "the theme of romantic
love, particularly love thwarted, appears repeatedly throughout
her novels, as does the setting in Mexico."
Between Two Fires (2000) featured essays on life, love, and food.
Her 2006 novel, Malinche, "explores the life of a near mythic
figure in Mexican history—the woman who served as Spanish
conquistador Hernan Cortez's interpreter and mistress" as he
fought to overthrow the Aztecs.
Personal life
Esquivel was once married to actor and director Alfonso
Arau. She currently lives in Mexico City.

5. Tita – protagonist of the novel
Mama Elena – The tyrannical, widowed matriarch of
the De La Garza clan; prime source of Tita's suffering.
Pedro - Tita's true love, and the eventual father of
Roberto and Esperanza; husband of Rosaura
Rosaura - The second daughter of Mama Elena; wife
of Pedro
Gertrudis - The eldest daughter of Mama Elena; She
runs away with a rebel soldier, works in a brothel at the
Mexico-Texas borde

6. Dr.John Brown - An American doctor who cares for
Tita when she experiences a breakdown, and the father
of Alex.
Nacha - The ranch cook
Chencha - The ranch maid; She becomes Tita's
companion in the kitchen after Nacha's death.
Roberto - first child of Rosaura and Pedro, Roberto
dies in America after being taken away from Tita's care.
Ezperanza - The second child of Rosaura and Pedro
Alex - The son of Dr. John Brown; He married
Esperanza

7. Like Water for Chocolate opens with a bit of wisdom from one
of its central settings, the kitchen: to avoid tears when chopping
onions, one must simply place a slice of onion on one's head.
Onion-induced weeping quite literally sweeps the protagonist,
Tita, into the world, as she is born in the kitchen, crying, amidst
of flood of her mother's tears. Her mother, Mama Elena, is
unable to produce milk (due to shock at the recent death of her
husband) and consequently hands off Tita almost immediately to
the house cook, Nacha, who rears the child in the kitchen.
Surrounded by the colors, smells, and routines of Nacha's
kitchen, Tita grows up understanding the world in terms of food.
She enjoys her isolation in the domain of the kitchen.

8. Wedding of Rosaura and Pedro
The wedding cake made by Tita
Nacha died

9. The death of Nacha leaves Tita alone and without a confidant in
the domain of the De La Garza kitchen.
Tita comforts herself by preparing elaborate dishes.
The meal receives an ecstatic response from Tita's family
members, especially Pedro, who always compliments Tita's
cooking.
A more curious affect is observed in Gertrudis, the second sister.
Tita herself goes through a sort of out-of-body experience.
Throughout the dinner, Tita and Pedro stare at each other,
entranced.
When the meal is complete, Gertrudis goes to prepare a shower
to rid herself of the pink sweat and rose-scented aroma she emits.
The force of her heat and passion, still strong from the
aphrodisiacal meal, causes the water from the primitive ranch
shower to evaporate on contact and eventually sets the structure
on fire.

10. Birth of Roberto, son of Rosaura and Pedro
No doctor was available at the time, so Tita was left alone to
help Rosaura birth the baby.
Rosaura can’t produce milk for her child
Tita became the nurse of Roberto and she became the one who
feeds her nephew without the knowledge of Rosaura, Pedro and
Mama Elena.
Pedro knew about this and they hide it to the whole family.
Mama Elena smells somethign about Pedro and Rosaura, so she
commanded that Rosaura and Pedro should go to San Antonio.

11. Because of Pedro's departure, Tita became hopeless and ignores
her duties in the household.
During this time, federal troops raid the ranch.
Mama Elena, let them search her property, but they found
nothing.
At first Mama Elena, knew already their arrival, so, she hide her
valuable goods and livestocks.
Meanwhile, in San Antonio, Roberto died because he’s seeking
his Aunt breast feed and there were no one who could feed him.
It causees another depression to Tita.
Tita blame Mama Elena because of the child’s death.
Mama Elena strikes Tita across the face with a wooden spoon,
breaking her nose.
Mama Elena orders Tita to be sent to an asylum. Dr. John Brown
rescues Tita from the dovecote and takes her away.

12. Under the loving care of Dr. Brown, Tita slowly emerges from
her traumatized inner shell.
Initially Tita is still withdrawn on her life, but then, she begins
to comprehend her new life away from the oppressive ranch
and Mama Elena.
Dr.John took care of her.

13. Appropriately enough, it is food that finally restores Tita to
stability.
With one spoonful Tita instantly recalls the best time of her
life, her youth in the kitchen with Nacha, where she enjoyed
many foods and Nacha's love.
Cencha visited Tita and brought a bad news.
Tita decided not to return to their ranch.
John Brown, proposes marriage to Tita, who, now fully
recovered, looks forward to beginning a new life with him.
At ranch, before Cencha delivered the message of Tita to
Mama Elena, , a group of bandits attacks the ranch.

14. The death of Mama Elena frees Tita from her mother's wretched sentence.
Tita’s excitement to her wedding with Dr.Brown became diverted because of
Rosaura’s giving birth to her second child, whom Tita names Esperanza (hope).
Tita is intimately involved in raising her niece, as Rosaura is bedridden due to a
complicated delivery and unable to nurse.
Esperanza is reared in the kitchen, just as Tita was, and fed with the same teas and
gruels with which Nacha nurtured Tita. Rosaura is quite jealous at the closeness
between Tita and the infant.
Rosaura announces her intention to follow family doctrine and prohibit Esperanza
from marrying.
This announcement, combined with Pedro's confrontational efforts to dissuade Tita
from marrying John Brown, inspires a terrible rage in Tita.
Tita’s rage.
This announcement, combined with Pedro's confrontational efforts to dissuade Tita
from marrying John Brown, inspires a terrible rage in Tita.
Cencha, went to Rosaura and tell her up coming settle down. She requested Tita to
take a bath before Dr.John arrived.
Pedro and Tita at the outdoor bathroom.

15. Tita fears that she has become pregnant as a result of her
encounter with Pedro.
Tita is engrossed in different thoughts because of what
happened between her and Pedro while preparing the King's
Day bread. This particular recipe evokes memories of her
childhood, especially the loving care of Nacha and
companionship of the disappeared Gertrudis.
Rosaura’s digestive problem.
Mama Elena’s curse.
Return of Gertrudis with a man who swept her away with a
horse.

16. The ranch is overwhelmed by the presence of so many
houseguests, as Gertrudis and her army stay for more than a
week.
Tita tell to Gertrudis all what happened to her, and even her
pregnancy with Pedro.
Pedro knows about Tita’s situation and he asked Tita to run
away with him , but he remembers his own family.
That night the ghost of Mama Elena appears and ordered Tita
to leave the house.
Tita talked back to her mother and at the same situation she
feels changes in her body.
The wrath of Mama Elena.
The accident of Pedro. Because of humiliation Rosaura locked
herself in a room for a week.
The return of Dr.John.

17. Tita, busy nursing Pedro back to health, is nervous around
John, because she is certain that she must call off the
engagement because she is no longer a virgin.
The emerges of Rosaura from her weeklong exile and
confrontation with Tita about her relationship with Pedro.
The tornado.
The tamales.
Tita tell the truth to Dr.John

18. Preparation for the wedding.
The wedding of Alex and Esperanza.
The death of Rosaura.
Tita and Pedro lived together.
The ranch were burn. Tita’s recipe book was the only
one survived in the fire.

19. Female-centered novel
Symbolism:
Heat
the heat of emotions, cannot be so controlled. Heat is a symbol for desire
and physical love throughout the text: in Gertrudis' flight from the ranch;
Pedro's lustful gazing at Tita in the shower.