Spencer Gould
Air (wind, aromas, smoke, etc)
Aroma
Smells and aromas are used in Like Water for Chocolate to recreate or remember
certain feelings or events that have transpired in the past. Certain aromas revolve
around the food and how the emotion is recreated through specific scents, while
other scents such as roses symbolize sex sexual desire. In one specific event there is
an element of nurturing/providing that occurs because of smell. I believe that Tita
has a large memory that can remember all different and individual smells, and can
remember her exact feelings she had while she smelling that aroma. Laura Esquirel
says it best with the following quote.
Pg 9 “It was very pleasant to savor its aroma, for smells have the power to evoke the
past, bringing back sounds and even other smells that have no match in the present.”
Tita reflects upon the power of one of our five senses, smell. Smells can recreate
feelings that one may have had in the past, and develops this symbol/motif which is
repeated throughout the book. I believe that because the author directly tells the
audience about Tita’s obsession with smell, it shows the reader the power of smell,
and to maybe keep this reoccurring element at the back of the audiences mind while
reading the novel.
Pg 9 “It was useless to try to recall the first time she had smelled one of those rolls-she
couldn’t, possibly because it had been before she was born.
Tita has never smelt these rolls, so she could not refer to her memory to rethink her
emotion she had while smelling these delicious rolls. I think this quote also
indirectly says that everything that smells, Tita has a specific remembrance of. Tita
can recreate the feelings she had from specific aromas. I believe that because of
these feelings she can recreate from smells, it can significantly alter her mood
throughout her book.
Pg 31 “The moment Tita opened the jar, the smell of apricots transporter her to the
afternoon they made they made the marmalade.”
Here is an example of when Tita uses smell to recall certain events in her book and
take the emotion of what she had while she was smelling apricots.
Pg 97 “It had to be Tita, her distinctive fragrance wafted toward him on the breeze, a
mixture of jasmine and cooking odors that was hers alone.
This quote shows that Pedro has a specific remembrance of Tita because of her
distinct smell and the smell of her cooking. This shows the power of smell and how
it can trace back to the past and enhance memory throughout the novel.
Pg 178 “Life would be much nicer if one could carry the smells and tastes of the
maternal home wherever one pleased.”
This thought comes from Gertrudis after she takes a sip of hot chocolate. Although
this may be referring to the sweet taste and smell of chocolate, it also could refer to
other things. Gertrudis may have missed the smell of roses and of that sexual desire
she once had had. The feelings one carries through all different types of smells could
be represented with this simple quote from the novel.
Pg 51 “She began to sweat, imagining herself on horseback with her arms clasped
around one of Pancho Villa’s men: the one she had seen in the village plaza the week
before, smelling of sweat and mud, of dawns that brought uncertainty and danger,
smelling of life and of death.”
Quote happens right after Gertrudis eats Tita’s meal, and starts to feel strong sexual
emotions. She imagines herself with a horseman, smelling of life and of death. I
believe that this means that she wanted to experience life by experimenting
disregarding the fact that she is not married. She imagines herself disobeying the
tradition of waiting until after you are married to make love with your husband.
This thought give her the smell of life and of death, which I believe is symbolic of
freewill and rebelliousness, and independence. Soon after this imagination
Gertrudis has she forfills her desire by the following quotes.
Pg 54 “By the scent of roses given off by her body had traveled a long, long way.”
Due to the meal Gertrudis has eaten, she starts to become hot and continually drips
of sweat and she becomes filled with sexual desire, and a sent of roses also comes
along with her. This scent of roses is symbolic to the sexual tension Gertrudis feels
towards a man. The passage continues with the following quote.
Pg 55“A pink cloud floated toward him, wrapped itself around him, and made him set
out at a gallop toward Mama Elena’s Ranch… “The aroma from Gertrudis’ body guided
him.”
This pink cloud is a metaphor of the aroma of the roses. The roses’ strong sent of
sexual tension attracted the soldier to leave battle and to follow his sent to his soon
to be lover. This aroma guided him and kept him on track to search for this women
who desired him so they can make love.
Pg 59 “Neither the fire nor the passage of time has been able to eliminate a strong
smell of roses that lingers that in the spot where the shower stood, which now is a
parking lot for an apartment building.”
Pg 66 “Just as lovers know the time for intimate relations is approaching from the
closeness and smell of their beloved, or from the caresses exchanged in previous love
play, so Pedro knew from those sounds and smells, especially the smell of browning
sesame seeds, that that were was a real culinary pleasure to come.”
These two quote shows that sex and sexual desire have a distinct smell. In the first
quote the smell of roses and sexual desire was too strong from Gertrudis to be
controlled and stabilized, and still remains in the area. While in the second quote,
Pedro could smell that real pleasure was about to come from the distinct smell of
sesame seeds. It was as if the last time he was to receive pleasure was while he was
unknowingly smelling sesame seeds. This repeated smell has come up, and for
Pedro, it is symbolic for sex and pleasure, and he knows that it is going to come.
Pg 75 “It occurred to Tita that if she put in the rebozo that lupita the wet nurse had
left behind, its familiar smell might soothe the baby; it had just the opposite effect, and
he cried even harder, because its smell told him he was going to be fed and he couldn’t
understand why there was this delay.”
Pg 148 “…Tita had to carry the stew she was cooking up to the bedroom, so they could
fool the child, who was lulled to sleep by the smell and sensation of warmth from the
pan Tita was using for cooking.”
The baby has memorized the smell of food, and the smell of sleep through warm
food. Smell therefore contains elements of nurturing and providing. This smell of
food is what fosters the baby, and is important for his health. Tita tries to fake as if
she was going to feed the baby, but the baby is smart enough to memorize the smell
of his own food, and suddenly starts to become more hungry. Tita also puts the baby
to sleep by using smells for which the baby knows that it is time to sleep. Smells
contribute to the babies nurturing and providing and are represented here in the
novel.
Pg 176 “She made Tita sniff some smelling salts, and soon she had recovered
completely.”
In this case the sent of smell had made Tita restore her mental health, and acted as a
medicine. This nurtured her and provided her and relieved her of her pain. The
smell has brought her back to life.
Pg 147 “But several coincidences suggested that this child’s [Esperanza’s] fate would
be similar to Tita’s; for example, out of sheer necessity she spent the greatest part of
the day in the kitchen, since her mother couldn’t take care of her and her aunt could
only take care of her in the kitchen, and with the gruels and the teas she was growing
healthier among the tastes and smells of this warm, paradisiacal place.”
This shows the similarities between Esperanza and Tita, as both of them use their
senses to guide them. Tita feels comfortable in the kitchen, as it is where she spends
most of her time preparing meals. Esperanza was using her senses to smell the
kitchen and described it “warm” and “paradisiacal.” This shows the similarities
between the two because not only does Esperanza feel safe in the kitchen like Tita,
but she also starts to use her senses. If a baby girl develops senses this clearly to the
kitchen, it is obvious that there is a connection between her and Tita.
Smoke
When starting a fire, smoke actually comes before fire. I believe that this is
important because the heat and friction (assuming the fire is made outside with
sticks) is what creates the fire. Both smoke and fire represent sex and sexual desire,
but smoke is what comes first. Smoke is the foreplay if you will, and what comes
after is fire.
Pg 54“Her body was giving off so much heat that the wooden walls began to split and
burst into flame.
The author indirectly describes this smoke of Gertrudis’ body after eating Tita’s
dish. This heat is symbolic to her sexual desire for a man, and how she wants to be
tamed to cool this burning sensation she had.
Pg 201“She went to the stairs, intending to go down and see what was happening, and
there she found the group carrying Pedro, with him at the center in a cloud of smoke.”
Wind
Pg 38 “For Tita, these words were like a fresh breeze fanning embers that had been
about to die.”
This quote occurs right after when Pedro tells Tita that he his only marrying his
sister to be closer with her. Tita shows her strong feelings by her fire being relit by a
breeze of oxygen. This air serves as a metaphor for Pedro’s words as it lights her
inner fire.