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In Like Water for Chocolate, the kitchen serves as a place of vulnerability, along with the ability to soothe one's deepest emotions.

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This image is similar to how I picture Mama Elena, because the woman in this painting appears older, somewhat cross, and perhaps a bit wise; reflecting on her past years.

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The quote "Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us," (115) symbolizes the idea that something as harmless and innocent as a wooden stick on the outsidecan be flammable, dangerous, and corrupt when ignited. I think this relates to Tita in which she began the book as a young girl, but when the news of the wedding hit, her tears "poisoned" the cake, and later on she betrayed her sister's trust and cheated with Pedro.

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On page 34, the story mentioned white flowers which can symbolize purity, a dreamlike nature, and also weddings. Typically the use of black in white in a novel symbolizes good and evil, which in this case could be Tita and Mama Elena. However, there is a rumor that one sees a white light before they die, by which the color may have also foreshadowed the "death" of Tita's soul and her downfall during the middle of the book.

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This image is very close to how I perceive Tita, because it shows the beauty and glow of youth, along with an expression that appears to represent feelings of hope for the better.

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In the story Like Water for Chocolate, love is displayed in many ways whether it is the love for a friend, a child, a man or woman, or a dish of food. Love, however, is strongly effected and shaped in the story by other characters such as Mama Elena, who forbade Tita from being with Pedro, based on her own love of holding on to traditions and the lack of change. While Pedro and Tita experienced the classic forbidden love story, other characters such as Dr. Brown lived a life with hopeless love, in which he loved Tita, but she never loved him back, as she did Pedro. Alternately, perhaps the most pure and uncomplicated love was between Tita and Nacha, the family cook. Regarding relationships in the story, Esquirel shows readers that sometimes in life, if you love something, you have to let it go.

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In Like Water for Chocolate, the relationships between family members are twisted, but overall, all Tita wanted to do was please her mother. As the story progressed, Tita discovered that her sister, Rosaura, was to marry her true love, and as a result Tita deep down seeks vengeance and has a layer of sadness, causing her to feel betrayed by those she loved. Later in the story, after Mama Elena's death, the birth of Esperanza, and Tita learning that she is pregnant, it is clear that there is no greater love than a family bond, which is why it is important to hold fast to those one holds dear.

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Magical Realism in Like Water for Chocolate is represented in different ways such as the visiting of spirits, the exaggeration of sorrow, along with many indescribable events. For instance the quote "Because there's a chicken... just an egg, and a fresh one of that," (28), displays Tita's unexpected, inexplicable, and bizarre imagery during a mundane task. Also the quote "It was then she understood... like batter," (16), is an example of Magical Realism since it is involving the combination of an ordinary item with an unexpected turn of events, along with the fact that intense imagery is being appealed to and compared to the senses.