Magicalal Realism in Like Water for Chocolate
Magical realism literature is a literary genre in Latin America after the 1950s. It is not the product of the literary group, but a universal tendency in the creation of literature. It is mainly reflected in the field of fiction and restricted to the Latin American region (Strecher 23). As a literary phenomenon, the magical realism is produced in Latin America, which has its profound social, historical and contemporary reasons. Among all the great literature works created during that time, Like Water for Chocolate is one of the symbolic work for magical realism and its Latin American gene was also an example on why magical realism was founded in Latin American.
The story begins in Mar del Plata. It is set at the time of the Mexican Revolution with oppressed people, environmental representation of the characters: Tita and Pedro: Oppressed, Mama Elena and Rosaura: oppressors Gertrudis. Revolution (change to freedom) Tita is the youngest of three sisters in his family is customary that the youngest daughter should not marry, but must take care of their elderly parents. Conjugation starts to get complicated when Tita falls for Pedro Muzquiz, which is unacceptable to the customs of the family. Tita, made by his mother "Mom Elena" and his two sisters. Rosaura and Gertrudis Thus is prohibited from Tita relate to any man, including Peter, his childhood sweetheart asks Peter eventually married to Tita, action. Mama Elena touting and finally it is a "solution" offered in marriage to Rosaura, Tita's older sister, to marry him and make him forget, as Mama Elena, his obsession with Tita Pedro accepts hiding a scheme: to get married. Rosaura to stay close to Tita. The whole story uses the link and Mexican cuisine as a metaphor for the feelings of the characters, and onions are because tears, black quail faith, the rose petals awaken uncontrollable passions. Each chapter begins with a prescription, the first presented by the great-niece of Tita, who is telling the story (De Valdes 18). This work stands out among one of the major works in the "magical realism" literary movement, performing a fusion of the magical, mundane and reality with balance. Throughout the work, you can also appreciate the variety of topics that compose and also the relationship they have with the work itself: trying to prove the historical context of a given time, including their customs, traditions, etc.
Magical realism is likely to develop into an imaginative narrative elements or use. These can be magical, supernatural, ghosts, and any other factor, an ordinary case to a higher level, it is still realistic, not a "fantasy." It means that it must be a question about the person whole story. The difference is that with the magical realism, all the human senses together with the psychological component will be intensified in the core. In Like Water for Chocolate. From her birth in her life has been directly related to all the supernatural ability: her basket sadness, salt tears in her birth, and the influence that she repressed her feelings of frustration surrounding environment (139). When it noted other instances of realism, through the supernatural and miraculous institutions so that reality is more powerful and colorful display of mankind's deepest passion. The Food in this book, all of its pipeline, made her aunt different. Not only is she an excellent cook, but, again, the breeder of the people. She takes care of her brother Roberto, although she was a virgin, and, therefore, cannot produce any mother's milk, in this case, made her a human. The realistic part of magical realism was that all creatures no matter how different they are to an ordinary person should still live within the ball part of a human. Woman Gertrudis, with ultra-high libido, her passionate manner, according to this story, one can smell Sex, hunger, passion, anger, revenge, and pain in this story illustrates the oppression that she may become the core of a modern slave, even to her family that is another example of this magical part that she is somewhat supernatural, but she’s a very core woman inside her.
Like Water for Chocolate’s genre of magical realism. This literary style, in his 1949 article, "Loreal Maravilloso the Cuban writer Alai Huka's first development," General Introduction Latin American fiction writer (although it is increasingly being applied to any background writer) What It is full of unique magical, myth, epic themes (31). Magical realism is usually interpreted as a Latin American conditions, individual products, especially the history of European colonialism, which leads to contradictions in a delicate relationship between the indigenous and limited religious and mythological and strong presence of the Catholic Church power (Lbsen 48). So Like Water for Chocolate also has this feature of inviting the darkness of colonialism. In Mexico, for example, Esquivel's home, one need only look at an example of two of the country's most beloved cultural narrative of this balance. The first is the description of Kilinochchi Emperor Lan founded Aztec mythology, and later became Mexico City. Aztec mythology tells the story of the vision of wandering hunter who received their empire built throngs of eagle standing on a cactus devouring a snake. To achieve this ghost is still held today beginning the Aztec empire and modern Mexican history. The second relates to cultural narrative Virgen de Guadalupe, who, according to the legend, it seems that indigenous Juan Diego as a brown-skinned Madonna in a rose petals. Native people also reflect Catholic to conquer, and Joan eventually became the patron saint of the country. These two stories rely on a strong visual image and improve the natural elements and add an item of unusual events (Saltz 2).
People in Like Water for Chocolate is the most important force in modern Mexican history in the background, 1910-1917 Mexican Revolution. During this time, farmers and local people together figures such as David Villa and Emiliano Zapata led opposition to the old order of dictatorship and restore democracy, and claimed Mexico for the everyday man and woman. Esquivel explores the use of revolutionary themes of masculinity and gender identity, and how the research objectives of the revolution for their freedom. Magical realism is an excellent literary device once, which use the five senses and the imagination of the reader to understand the depth of the story. It is very common in the Latin American literature. magical realism invites readers to look healthy environment and just accept the magical elements that may occur.
Esquivel in Like Water for Chocolate has done a great job in following a reality for the dreams without losing the true magical of realism principle, through clever ideas and imagination, created the shocking reality and the source of the illusion of myths and legends of the combination to form colorful, unique style of painting. Readers in "specious and paradox" of the image to obtain a sense of Deja Vu feelings, to stimulate the tracing to pursue the truth of the creation of the writer wishes. Magical realism must be based on the present strength, but this does not prevent it from taking extreme exaggeration. Because the social reality oppression and the people's ignorance. The backwardness of all these causes leads to the character’s daily circulation and repetition of the story, and the steps of the solitary stopping of the story, and eventually die out. This is also a national and humanity enlightenment to the development of a nation's key is to improve the quality of the people, and thus the right to face the development of modern civilization and promote human civilization.
Works Cited
De Valdes, Maria Elena. "Verbal and visual representation of women: Como agua para chocolate/like water for chocolate." World Literature Today (1995): 78-82.
Ibsen, Kristine. "On Recipes, reading and revolution: Postboom Parody in Como agua para chocolate." Hispanic Review (1995): 133-146.
Saltz, Joanne. "Laura Esquivel's" Como agua para chocolate": The Questioning of Literary and Social Limits." Chasqui (1995): 30-37.
Strecher, Matthew C. "Magicalal realism and the search for identity in the fiction of Murakami Haruki." Journal of Japanese Studies (1999): 263-298..