In the novel, Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel uses magical realism to tell the story of a young girl and her family during Mexican Revolutionary times. Tita’s forbidden love with Pedro causes many complications for the family. Because of the magical elements that Esquivel adds to the novel, unusual circumstances occur to Tita and the people around her causing chaos and tragedies among them. Esquivel uses Tita and Gertrudis’ experiences of high temperature to represent their ability to nurture a successful relationship, unlike John, who does not have any experience with heat. Esquivel adds temperature to support her claim by using Tita is an example of a successful relationship. At the moment that Tita offers her breast for Pedro
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After Gertrudis eats the quail in rose petal sauce made by Tita, she runs into the bathroom, “her body was giving off so much heat that the wooden walls began to split and burst into flame” (54). The immense heat that comes off of Gertrudis’ body foreshadows the love that she will feel for the man who saves her, Juan. Because her passion for Juan is so powerful, she cannot keep her body at a normal temperature. Therefore, her body temperature goes up tremendously. Her flaming body radiates everywhere around her, causing the “wooden walls to split and burst into flame.” The flames she creates spark the start of her love story. Like this fiery accident that occurs in the shower and will remain in the family’s memories, her love will remain permanent also. During the dance at Alex and Esperanza’s wedding, Esquivel describes Gertrudis: “she immediately recognized the heat in her limbs, the tickling sensation in the center of her body, the naughty thoughts, and she decided to leave with her husband before things went too far” (241). Twenty years later, the heat in her body is still there. This is a representation for the love she continues to have for Juan. The heat her body has is so much, making her feelings for him unstoppable. Even though the heat remains, not every part of her body is able sense it. The fact that she only feels the heat in …show more content…
The use of temperature in this novel through magical realism draws an emphasis to which characters have the strongest feelings of love for one another, and that love is associated with fiery passion. The lack of experience in heat, and the subtle heat in John’s body end with an unsuccessful romance. John is not able to carry his relationship, unlike Pedro who gives off enough heat, and has experience with it to have a long lasting relationship with Tita despite all the people or distance that got between
After Gertrudis eats the quail in rose petal sauce made by Tita, she runs into the bathroom, “her body was giving off so much heat that the wooden walls began to split and burst into flame” (54). The immense heat that comes off of Gertrudis’ body foreshadows the love that she will feel for the man who saves her, Juan. Because her passion for Juan is so powerful, she cannot keep her body at a normal temperature. Therefore, her body temperature goes up tremendously. Her flaming body radiates everywhere around her, causing the “wooden walls to split and burst into flame.” The flames she creates spark the start of her love story. Like this fiery accident that occurs in the shower and will remain in the family’s memories, her love will remain permanent also. During the dance at Alex and Esperanza’s wedding, Esquivel describes Gertrudis: “she immediately recognized the heat in her limbs, the tickling sensation in the center of her body, the naughty thoughts, and she decided to leave with her husband before things went too far” (241). Twenty years later, the heat in her body is still there. This is a representation for the love she continues to have for Juan. The heat her body has is so much, making her feelings for him unstoppable. Even though the heat remains, not every part of her body is able sense it. The fact that she only feels the heat in …show more content…
The use of temperature in this novel through magical realism draws an emphasis to which characters have the strongest feelings of love for one another, and that love is associated with fiery passion. The lack of experience in heat, and the subtle heat in John’s body end with an unsuccessful romance. John is not able to carry his relationship, unlike Pedro who gives off enough heat, and has experience with it to have a long lasting relationship with Tita despite all the people or distance that got between