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Magical realism n. A chiefly literary style or genre originating in Latin America that combines fantastic or dreamlike elements with reality (Dictionary. com). In the novel, Like Water for Chocolate, written by Laura Esquirel, magical realism is used throughout the story to explain the impossible, within the daily life of the fictional characters.
This magical realism is a continuous element of story, starting from when the main character, Tita, is born. Magical realism continues to work its magic when Tita's love, Pedro, marries her sister and lives under the same roof as her, and when she dies at the very end of the story. However, Tita is not the only one within the book that is affected by the magical realism. There are also many other characters whose personalities are heightened by the magical realism.
Esquirel creatively uses the magical realism to show the characters innermost desires, emotions, and personalities in order to make the novel a sweet and delighting romantic experience. Desire is an emotion that describes a deep longing and wanting is chiefly crafted using magical realism within the novel. One of the many examples of this activity would be the pull of desires were brought by the magical dish of quail and roses. Gertrudis, one of the main characters within the novel, hadnt been mention much until the entrancement of the dish where she became heated and hot, desperate for passion. In the spur of the moment, she ran away with one of Villas men, on horse back naked (pg 58). This describes how the pent up desire that is deeply woven within Gertrudis could only become expose by through some magical means, hence the use of magical realism.
It adds a tangy scent of romanticism and illustrates the characters need of love and desires. Gertrudis was not the only character within the story affected by the dazzling inclination of the dish, because Pedro and Tita felt this spark of exigency also. As they sat across from each other in the dining room, Tita penetrates to the farthest corners of his being, and all the while they could not take their eyes off each other (pg 52) causing them both to fall into a mutual sexual trance to form a mind link. As delicate meal entrances them, they are drawn into their sexuality and their longings of the heart.
Doing so, their sensuality consumes them as their raging emotions locking them into a reality that they long and wish for all their lives. With magical realism, emotions were beautifully crafted within this novel to show the trueness of the characters and the intensity of their needs. At the beginning of the novel, magical realism was described to show that Tita was a sensuous character. Her early birth brought by the distinguish smell of onions as she laid in her mothers womb was one example. As she wash into the world on a great tide of tears that spilled over the edge of the table and flooded across the kitchen floor (pg 6), the reader can see how Esquirel uses magical realism to show the emotions deep within Tita, something as simple as onions. The narrator voices that the reason for this show of emotions because of the possibility that she knew then that it would be her lot in life to be denied marriage (pg 6).
Further in the story, Tita is truly denied her true love because he agrees that he will marry another. This brings about a hallow sensation within her that was not hunger by an icy feeling of grief. She had to get rid of that terrible sensation of cold (pg 19). Tita then begins to find that no matter how many layers she throws on; she still remains a frozen mess.
The ranging emotions contain within her makes it impossible to warm herself because of the undoubtedly truth that Esquirel's magical realism heightens these emotions, which bring more spice into the story. Magical realism seems to define the characters personality persistently. Tita's self constantly longs for warmth throughout the story, yet in several points of the story she has attempted to keep the cold away from her with something other than blankets. At the end of the novel, Tita finds herself alone in the world after her lover, Pedro, dies. In grief and longing, she gathers up candles and she begins to chew them in order to reproduce the most moving memories of her and Pedro In this she was successful; when the candle she chewed made contact with the torrid images she evoked, the candle began to burn (pg 245) causing her to become warm again.
Mama Elena's personality is also illustrated by magical realism. Her dominating behavior shows that even death could not stop her over-bearing behavior that haunts Tita even after she knows for certain that she is gone and begotten. Mama Elena's personality was also illustrated by her constant badgering to Tita even after she had dies, exclaiming: I told you many times note to go near Pedro Why did you do it? What you have done has no name!
You have forgotten all morality, respect, and good behavior. You are worthless, a good-for-nothing who doesnt respect even yourself! (pg 173) The use of magical realism illuminates the characters personality to stress and heighten them. The beauty of the magical realism uses in the novel drawn by Esquirel describes the characters raging desires, beautiful emotions, and stresses each characters personality. The desires within the book were well animated by Gertrudis rose-smelling passion, which causes Tita to embark into her emotions on how she could never marry her love, Pedro. Pedro instead marries Tita's sister to be closer to her only to have Tita's mother hold them back from their hearts desires. Although magical realism does not exist in real life, the emotions, desires, and personality we have within ourselves matches the ones of the characters within the book.
Being so, the novel causes us to believe in the possibilities of magical realism within the world even though its highly impossible.
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Research essay sample on Magical Realism Mama Elena
