Quotes
Wars and Battles:

"Rebel forces and the federal troops were engaged in a fierce battle" (51)
o This quote does two things. The first is that it constantly serves to remind us
of the context of the novel is the Mexican Revolution, and that there is a war
going on. The revolution itself signifies the societal change in Mexico, which
is symbolized by Tita's overthrowing of Mama Elena and her "traditions"
including Tita's destiny of taking care of Mama Elena. The second symbolism
is the battle between Tita and Mama Elena allied with Rosaura. Tita fights her
mother's tyrannical decree of being unable to marry through small but
notable trysts with Pedro and by her food (see the quail in rose petal sauce).

"That night when she got to the house, a group of bandits attacked the ranch. They
raped Chencha. Mama Elena trying to defend her honor suffered a strong blow to
her spine and was left paraplegic paralysed from the waist down." (129)
o
This brief extremely violent act is not detailed, and is instead used to advance
the plot. The attack on Mama Elena and its aftermath however have strong
symbolism. The author here uses Mama Elena to portray societal traditions
as simply broken, having once held power, but now just an old lady in a
wheel chair. This is further emphasized by Tita's return, when the bonds of
obedience are broken between Mama Elena and Tita, and tradition and Tita.

"The house became a battlefield. Slammed doors were the order of the day.
o Fortunately this did not go on for long, because after three days of the most
violent and heartrending battle between the two sides, Roasaura, due to her
terrible digestive problems, had died of... whatver she had died of."(232)
This again brings up the idea of the Mexican Revolution due to the idea of a
"battle field", in which Roasaura finally loses, symbolizing the death of
backward traditions, allowing her daughter to finally marry, instead of taking
care of Roasaura till her death, like Tita was forced too.

"Tita felt a violent agitation take possesion of her being: still fingering the sausage
she calmly met her mother's gaze and then instead of obeying her order, she started
to tear apart all the sausages she could rach. "Here's what I do with your orders!
I'm Sick of them! I'm sick of obeying you!" Mama Elena went ot her picked up
awooden spoon and smashed her face with it." (99)
o This is the first time Tita directly stands up to Mama Elena, when she hears
the news that Roberto died. The shock of Roberto's death, and Mama Elena's
lack of emotional reaction leads Tita to believe that the reason Roberto died
was her mother, her cruel mother who had done absolutely but to treat Tita
without any respect by constantly belittling her. This moment is a huge one
for Tita because she is growing from being afraid and obedient to a strong
young woman. And with the change the violence of resistance (as
emphasized by the Mexican Revolution) comes too, when her nose is
smashed.
Emotions:

"The night of the wedding reception she had gotten a tremendous hiding from Mama
Elena, like no beating before or since. She spent two weeks in bed recovering from
her bruises" (40)
o This beating emphasizes the level of violence in Mama Elena's house, and
says a lot about Mama Elena's character. She does not love her daughter,
and sees her as a way to take out her frustrations. She does not empathize
the least with her despite being the one who made Tita loose all hope for
love. It also emphasizes the physical pain Tita feels when she sees her life
long love being married off to her sister.

"John thought he was so civilized -he'd teach him what a mand does when he really
loves a woman. Grabbing his jacket, he got ready to go look for John so he could
smash his face in."(pg 231)
o This is a different type of violence than shown throughout most of the books.
This a violence not because of a revolution, or suppression (Mama Elena), or
of just blind violence (the bandits), this is a violent act/feeling due to love. It
provides a direct contrast between the doctor's love for Tita, and Pedro's love
for Tita. This goes to emphasize the physicality of love between Tita and
Pedro. Pedro feels Tita skin but does not touch it. Pedro makes love to Tita
without touching her. Like wise Pedro feels the need to beat up John Brown,
he doesn't.