Tradition in Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Literary Essay Example)

Tradition is valued but it does not always have to be a good thing. This is the case in Like Water for Chocolate, a novel by Laura Esquivel in which a young woman named Tita attempts to be with he lover, Pedro, despite him being married to her sister, Rosaura. Throughout the novel, Esquivel shows that the tradition of the De la Garza family, in which the youngest daughter cannot marry and must take care of the mother until the mother’s death, suppresses the dreams and desires of characters. This is evident through Tita not being able to marry Pedro, Tita telling John why she cannot have kids, and Rosaura not allowing Esperanza to marry. 

First, Pedro and Tita are in love with each other since the beginning of the novel. Tita asks her mother, Mama Elena if Pedro can come over. Mama Elena grows suspicious and tell Tita "’If he [Pedro] intends to ask for your [Tita's] hand… He'll be wasting his time and mine [Mama Elena] too. You know perfectly well that being the youngest daughter means you have to take care of me until the day I die’" (Esquivel 10). In the De la Garza family, the youngest daughter is to remain unwed to take care of the mother until the mother passes away. Tita is the youngest out of three children, therefore she is a victim to this tradition. Mama Elena does not hesitate to deny Pedro of Tita’s hand and instead offers Rosaura’s, Tita’s eldest sister, hand instead. Pedro decides to accept Mama Elena’s author, prohibiting Tita to be with Pedro through marriage.

In addition to Pedro and Tita being unable to get married, Tita is not allowed to have children under the De la Garza tradition. When Tita is retreating at Dr. John Brown’s house after a mental breakdown Mama Elena causes, she bonds with Dr. Brown’s son, Alex. Dr. Brown takes note of Tita’s great care and tells Tita that "'He [Alex] isn't even your [Tita] own son. Imagine how pretty you would look with one of your own'… 'I [Tita] can't marry or have children because I have to take care of my mother until she dies.' 'But how can that be! It's absurd'" (Esquivel 78). Tita is taking such great care of a child she is not the mother of, and Dr. Brown enthusiastically tell her that she would be an amazing mother. While Tita is appreciative of the compliment, she knows she cannot have children of her own due to the De la Garza family tradition suppressing her dream to have children because she cannot marry. John Brown is shocked by Tita’s response and believes the De la Garza tradition should be in question. 

Lastly, in correlation to Tita not being able to marry Pedro and not have children, the De la Garza tradition also affects Esperanza, the daughter of Rosaura and Pedro, and Alex, the son of Dr. Brown. Alex looks up to his father and even tells him that "'Papa, I [Alex] want to get married too.. With this little girl [Esperanza].' They all laughed at that, but when Rosaura explained to Alex he couldn't because this little girl was destined to take care of her until the day she died, Tita felt her hair stand on end" (Esquivel 150). Alex wants to marry Esperanza when they are older, but Rosaura quickly rejects Alex’s wish and explains the family tradition. Tita is shocked and furious with Rosaura because she does not want the De la Garza family tradition to continue, and being a victim of it, Tita knows the pain of it. Tita knows how cursed this family tradition is, and "She wished Esperanza could marry, without Rosaura being able to stop her, so she would never know this pain and suffering! She wished that the child would have the strength Gertrudis had shown and run away from home" (Esquivel 175). Tita being a victim of the De la Garza tradition makes it easier for her to emphasize and feel the pain Esperanza will feel later. Tita wishes that her generation will be the one to break the family tradition, but Rosaura ignores Tita’s wish and continues it anyways. She wants Esperanza to run away like Gertrudis did because if Esperanza runs away, she will be able to learn her self-actualization. 

Overall, the De la Garza tradition prohibits any self-actualization of the induvial. Tita wishes to live a life with her love, Pedro, but the tradition does not allow her to have kids and even get married. Despite her wishes for it to end with her generation, Tita’s sister, Rosaura, continues it with her own child, Esperanza. Tradition holds a lot of value in cultures, but sometimes those traditions may be for the worse instead of for the better and not let anyone live up to his or her dreams.