Mystical Realism In Like Water For Chocolate

In the film Like Water for Chocolate, directed by Alfonso Arau and based on the book written by Laura Esquivel, the central conflict that drives this film is that the main character Tita wishes to marry her true love Pedro. But there is an obstacle. It is tradition that the youngest child is forbidden to marry since she must take care of her aging mother. In place of the youngest daughter, Tita, Mama Elena offers to Pedro her eldest daughter, Rosaura. This substitution serves to fan the flames of conflict. Throughout the unfolding of the plot we see the character Tita fight the battle of duty to tradition versus her own individual happiness. These events are in part told through mystical realism. Mystical realism exaggerates real events so as
After Tita frees herself from her mother and Rosaura passes away Tita and Pedro can be together with no objections. No longer needing to sneak around, they decide to finally be together on the night of Pedro and Rosaura’s daughter’s wedding. After making love to one another, Pedro dies and Tita does not leave his side. This aspect of death can be one with honor since she chooses to die alongside Pedro in a blazing glory. Through this scene and the others it is shown that love is a powerful thing. True love can be a powerful component in life, and as it is in most movies true love conquers all. No matter what challenge is thrown at them, Tita and Pedro pull through. Pedro even tells his father, who is yelling at him for agreeing to marry Rosaura instead of Tita. Pedro replies that this is the only way to be close to Tita, without breaking tradition. While this movie can be over dramatized, because of the mystical realism, there is an underlying beauty and magic in the film. A magic that says love makes you do crazy things, and those crazy things are sometimes for the better, no matter what anybody