Summary sheet Como Agua Para Chocolate

Estructura
El libro se compone de 12 captulos que corresponden a los 12 meses del ao. En cada mes est una receta nueva de cocina.

Personajes:
Tita De la Garza : joven de quince aos , sensible , buena cocinera y enamorada de Pedro. Nacha: persona que se encarga de alimentar y ensear a Tita desde su niez en todo lo referente a la vida. Mama Elena: mujer de duro carcter y madre de las tres hermanas de la Garza . Adems seora tradicionalista. Rosaura de la Garza: esta es la hermana del medio y fue quien se encargo de casarse con Pedro (el amor de Tita) . Adems esta era la mas observadora de las tres hermanas. Gertrudis de la Garza: este es la hermana mayor , adems fue la nica que se atrevi a dar rienda suelta a sus sentimientos. A ella le atraa todo lo que tenia que ver con movimiento. Chencha : sirvienta de la casa . Le encantaba el chisme. Pedro Muquiz: hombre que se cas con Rosaura para estar cerca de Tita. Juan Alejandrez: hombre de batalla . Adems fue el que atrado por su pasin fue en busca de Gertrudis y la tomo totalmente desnuda. Dr.John Brown: Mdico de la familia y fue tambin el que se enamor de Tita.

Perspectiva del narrador

La narradora de la historia es la sobrina-nieta de Tita, y narra de forma transcriptora ya que relata los hechos tal y como los ha escrito Tita en su libro de cocina.

El ttulo
Like Water for Chocolate's full title is:"Like Water for Chocolate: A novel in monthly installments with recipes, romances and home remedies." The book is divided into twelve sections named after the months of the year. Each section begins with a recipe of some sort, usually involving Mexican foods. The chapters outline the preparation of the dish and ties it to an event in the protagonist's life. Young Tita de la Garza, the story protagonist, is merely fifteen at the start of the events in the story, which take place in the era of the Mexican Revolution. She lives with her mother, Elena, and sisters Gertrudis and Rosaura on a ranch near the Mexico-US border. Tita's boyfriend Pedro Muzquiz comes to ask for her hand in marriage, but Mama Elena forbids it on the grounds of the de la Garza family tradition, which demands that the youngest daughter (in this case Tita) must take care of her mother

until death. Pedro marries (reluctantly) Tita's sister Rosaura instead, and a distraught Tita can hardly keep from being grieved, even though Pedro maintains it is Tita he loves and not Rosaura. Tita has a love of the kitchen and a sharp connection with food of any sort, a skill her sister lacks. Tita unconsciously begins to use the power of food to draw Pedro away from Rosaura, with the rest of the family and hired help becoming pawns in the scheme. As the story unfolds Pedro begins to fall under the developing spell of romance caused by Tita's kitchen skills. But side effects do result, as when Rosaura and Pedro are forced to leave for San Antonio, Texas at the urging of Mama Elena, who is firmly against a Tita-Pedro union, and Rosaura loses her son Roberto and is later made sterile after complications with the birth of daughter Esperanza; elder sister Gertrudis accidentally becoming affected by Tita's culinary delights and leaving the ranch naked with a revolutionary soldier (though she returns at the head of a revolutionary army); Upon learning the news of her nephew's death, whom she cared for herself, Tita blames her mother for Robertos death, by doing this Elena hits Tita furiously with a wooden spoon. Tita, not wanting to cope with her mothers controlling ways creeps up into the attic were she stays feeding a little pigeon baby until finally the doctor John Brown reasons her to come down. Mama Elena clearly states that there is no place for lunatics like Tita on the farm, and wants her to be institutionalized. However, the Doctor decides to take care of Tita at his home instead of sending her to a mental hospital. Tita even enters a relationship with Dr. Brown, gets engaged to him, and at one point plans to marry him, but cannot shake her feelings for Pedro. After the removal of all obstacles to the Tita-Pedro union, the lovers finally shared a night of bliss, leading to their deaths in union and the destruction of the ranch. The narrator of the story is the descendant of Esperanza de la Garza and Dr. Brown's son, Alex who marry at the conclusion of the story.

Instances of magical realism

The concept of magical realism in the novel is portrayed in Tita's love of the kitchen and her determination to escape her destiny of serving her mother until she dies. In the kitchen she is very emotional, fun-loving, sexy, creative and fiery, and this translates to the dishes she cooks in the kitchen, which often involve spices, peppers and bright, creative elements. She has been well taught by mentor Nacha, the ranch cook, who dies early in the story. Tita takes her place and proceeds to create dishes that people connect with (such as at Pedro and Rosaura's wedding, when the cake with Tita's tears in it caused the guests to vomit; and at Alex and Esperanza's wedding, when the dish of chiles and walnut sauce caused each guest to seek the nearest companion of the opposite sex for a tryst). The meals she prepares is the only way she is able to have contact with Pedro, which is her way to escape her destiny, a major part of Magical Realism. In the ending of the book, Tita's fiery passion opens up a portal to the spirit realm, killing Pedro. Tita, wishing to follow, eats all the matches one by one, remembers her happy thoughts, and reopens the spirit portal to follow Pedro into death. In the process, so much energy is created that it burns the farmhouse to the ground, and creates fireworks, which the neighbors assumed to be celebratory. This represents her ultimate escape of her destiny, as her mother is dead and she can be with Pedro.

Instances of magical realism

The concept of magical realism in the novel is portrayed in Tita's love of the kitchen and her determination to escape her destiny of serving her mother until she dies. In the kitchen she is very emotional, fun-loving, sexy, creative and fiery, and this translates to the dishes she cooks in the kitchen, which often involve spices, peppers and bright, creative elements. She has been well taught by mentor Nacha, the ranch cook, who dies early in the story. Tita takes her place and proceeds to create dishes that people connect with (such as at Pedro and Rosaura's wedding, when the cake with Tita's tears in it caused the guests to vomit; and at Alex and Esperanza's wedding, when the dish of chiles and walnut sauce caused each guest to seek the nearest companion of the opposite sex for a tryst). The meals she prepares is the only way she is able to have contact with Pedro, which is her way to escape her destiny, a major part of Magical Realism. In the ending of the book, Tita's fiery passion opens up a portal to the spirit realm, killing Pedro. Tita, wishing to follow, eats all the matches one by one, remembers her happy thoughts, and reopens the spirit portal to follow Pedro into death. In the process, so much energy is created that it burns the farmhouse to the ground, and creates fireworks, which the neighbors assumed to be celebratory. This represents her ultimate escape of her destiny, as her mother is dead and she can be with Pedro.