Like Water for Chocolate Magical Realism
Example of "magical realism" | Cultural or philosophical relevance | Crying When Tita is born: | Tita was so sensitive to the smell of onions that she started crying in the womb and eventually enticed her mother to give birth to her. There were so many tears that it flooded the kitchen table and floor. This showed that even before Tita was born she was already unhappy and also could not stand the smell of onions. | Chopping onions without crying: | There was a scene where the cook was chopping onions and by putting one half on the onion on her head she didn't cry. This was a big deal in the story because everyone was so prone to crying with onions that it helped a lot. The magical realism is that putting an onion on top of your head would not stop the crying if you were still chopping but it made it so the onion was out of site. | Peppers in the food were cooked with love: | Tita cooked peppers for the wedding that everyone ate and there was only one left. They were a hit and one of the ladies asked her how she made it and she said, “With love”. By making them with love it made everyone who ate them amorous and they all left the wedding with a partner. It signified Tita’s love for Pedro that everyone felt too. | Nacha is more of a motherly figure when as a ghost: | Nacha dies but comes back as a ghost that helps Nacha with her problems. Throughout Tita’s life she really didn't have a good mother but Nacha was there to help her out. When she dies she still helps Tita with her problems and sometimes in the kitchen. This shows how Nacha is being the mother that Elena never was. | Tita becomes Independent: | Mama Elena had been holding back Tita before she was even born because she was her youngest daughter. She had to take care of Elena until she died and never get married. After Elena dies she came back to haunt Tita. Tita finally stands up to Elena and she stops haunting her. This signified Tita’s independence that she had been