Mexican literature and art
Introduction
‘As water for chocolate,’ is a novel set in the twentieth century during the Mexican Revolution. The argument of this novel develops in rural Mexico, at a time when chaos and violence predominated. On the one hand, Emiliano Zapata was in charge of the revolutionaries who fought for agrarian reform and rights for poor workers. At the time the Victorian dictator Huerta took power by force, forces were born to restore order. ‘Pancho’ Villa was a Latin American leader and the dictator’s greatest collaborator, and his beautiful were known for looting Ranchos.
Developing
In the novel we can find numerous evidence of the revolution and its effects on society. In one of the scenes, the revolutionaries arrive at Mama Elena’s ranch and there, she orders her daughters to hide while she dealt with the revolutionaries. Later, they return to the ranch once again, rape Chencha and hit Mom Elena, he stays paraplegically. This demonstrates the instability and insecurity that existed during this time because of the Mexican Revolution.
Other clear evidence of the effects caused by the people’s day -to day can be perceived in the novel. For example, in chapter 2, it is explained how the revolution did not allow traveling safely, and later in chapter 4 we see how Lupita was heading to the people, when it is suddenly reached by a bullet that came from federal rebels and dies. These examples show how Mexican society at this time was very ruffled and full of violence, causing the death of innocent people as in the case of Lupita.
The social standards of the time are openly revealed in the novel and influence how each of the characters act. The ‘Carreño Manual’ was a popular book among wealthy families that taught the right behavior in society. An example that demonstrates the influence of this manual in the life of the characters in the novel, is when Tita waits for everyone to end up to retire from the table in chapter 2, since the Carreño manual prevented withdraw before.
conclusion
In the novel the different types of expressions used according to the person’s social class are also reflected. In the case of Chencha, a mestizo woman with hardly any education or illiterate has difficulties with the pronunciation of words. This contrasts with the high manners of Dr. John, which refers to Mom Elena as Mrs., thus reflecting a very precise social, geographical and historical framework of Mexican society in the twentieth century.
Pedro’s courtship to Tita also presents the historical context of this era, since during this period it was common for a young man to cut a girl from the same social class from a young age. In conclusion, this novel exposes a social and historical framework of Mexican society and the influence that it had on people, as reflected in the characters of ‘as water for chocolate.’
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