What Is Mama Elena's Relationship In Like Water For Chocolate

The relationship shared by Lincoln and Booth in Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks encompasses both negative and positive aspects. Similar positivity is portrayed more dominantly in Jack and Teresa’s loving relationship in “The View from Culion,” a short story in Monstress by Lysley Tenorio, while Tita and Mama Elena’s destructive relationship in Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquirel demonstrates more negative characteristics. Out of the three works, the repulsive way Mama Elena treats Tita illustrates how this work is the most destructive due to the physical, emotional, and mental harm that is caused. While not as harmful as Tita and Mama Elena’s situation, Lincoln and Booth live a tragic life that brings hard feelings and cruel, impulsive actions between the two brothers at times. Although, deep down the brothers exhibit glances of a deep love and affection they have towards one another and their past. Jack and Teresa do not display the types of harsh feelings towards one another that many of the characters in …show more content…
Mama Elena declares that since Tita is her youngest born daughter it is her responsibility to never marry and take care of Mama Elena until she dies. When Tita does end up finding love with Pedro, Mama Elena rips it away from her and lets Tita’s sister, Rosaura, marry Pedro instead. Due to this, when Mama Elena forces Tita to neuter the chickens Tita wishes she was the one being neutered instead. Tita thinks to herself, “At least then there would have been some justification for not allowing her to marry and giving Rosaura her place beside the man she loved. Mama Elena read the look on her face and flew into a rage, giving Tita a tremendous slap that left her rolling in the dirt…” (Esquirel 27). Mama Elena offers no sympathy to Tita about the situation and does not waver in her