Like Water for Chocolate forbiden love
Like Water for Chocolate - forbiden loveLike Water for Chocolate
Love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. In Like Water for Chocolate many of the main characters have had experiences with lost love and these experiences have shaped their lives in different ways. Mama Elena, Nacha, and Dr. Brown are each faced with the predicament of lost love and they have each dealt with their emotions differently.
Mama Elena fell in love when she was young and married. She even had a child from her lover and never told anyone that her husband wasn’t the father. The truth wasn’t revealed until late in the story after Mama Elena’s death when Tita discovered her mothers love letters and realized that her mother had felt the torment of a love lost.
Mama Elena was a very traditional woman who was greatly concerned with appearances, so she hid her forbidden love from everyone and hardened her heart. The once beautiful young vibrant loving woman was greatly scared by her experiences and as a result Mama Elena became a very strong woman who could face any obstacle that came her way. When the revolutionaries came to the ranch to steal what supplies they could, Mama Elena just looked them in the eyes with a cold stern look and told them what they could and could not have. She let them know that she was a woman to be reckoned with. Her strength perhaps came from the torment she faced when she lost her one and only true love. However strong that experience may have made her, it also left her with a cold heart of stone. She never once showed any sign of warmth to her children. She only cared about working and taking care of the ranch. Everyone on the ranch had to work. From the moment her daughters woke until the time they went to bed they were constantly working. It seemed like their mother was a slave driver whose only concern was to make sure they were always working and deal out fierce slaps to those who did not follow her orders exactly. Her cold stern hand was so strong that she even continued to torment her family after her death. Her lost love turned her into a cold and bitter woman who would never let another speck of sunshine into her dark and empty heart.
Nacha, Tita’s great aunt, also once loved a man that she could not marry. She had experienced love and even though she was unable to spend the rest of her life with the man of her dreams, she did not let this ruin her life by turning her heart to stone like Mama Elena. Instead Nacha continued to be a loving and caring woman. She cared about the feelings of those around her and gave the ranch a warm homely feeling. When Tita was feeling sad during the wedding preparations for her sister Rosaura’s marriage to Pedro, Tita’s true love, Nacha was there to hold Tita and comfort her. She listened to Tita’s feelings and sympathized with her. She understood what Tita was going through with Pedro and did not want Tita to feel the pain that she once felt. Nacha’s love can be seen in Tita’s recipes. Nacha taught her that when you cook you must prepare every dish with a lot of love. Nacha even continued to care for Tita after she passed away. Whenever Tita was in trouble she would just call on Nacha to guide her with her loving wisdom. Nacha did not let her lost love destroy her heart. Instead she turned her love to her family and her cooking.
Dr. Brown fell in love with his first wife who unfortunately passed away leaving him to raise his son on his own. He had experienced love before and knew what true love felt like. He also knew what it felt like to lose a love. When he saw Tita he began to fall in love again and longed to be with her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and he greatly cared for her feelings and her well being. He rescued her from the ranch and her cold-hearted mother Mama Elena. He nursed her heart back to health and helped to bring her out of a great depression and weeks of silence. Dr. Brown was a very understanding person and was not selfish like Pedro. His previous experience with his lost love made him more appreciative of the people in his life and he did not want to take Tita for granted. He knew that if you truly love something then you have to set it free. He did not get upset when Tita began to have second thoughts about their wedding plans. He said he didn’t care what happened between her and Pedro, he just wanted to be with her and love her forever. Despite his feelings, Tita could not bring herself to marry him because of her desire to be with Pedro. Of all the characters in the story, I think Dr. Brown’s love is the truest love of all. He loved Tita but did not want her to marry him unless she felt the same. His only concern was for Tita to be happy regardless of where it left him. That was true love.
Losing a loved one can be very hard to deal with, especially if that person is the one who you want to spend the rest of your life with. Seeing the characters in the novel struggle with their desires for love was very frustrating. Mama Elena, Nacha, and Dr. Brown all experienced a lost love that changed their lives forever. I only wish Pedro had never come back into the picture. Then Tita and Dr. Brown could have lived happily ever after. Damm that Pedro. What a DOG!!