The food represents eroticism in the novel as water for chocolate
It is a metaphor, it is sex in action but, either because it diverts or denies it, suspends the purpose of sexual function.". It can be added that, unlike the love that looks at another as a subject, in eroticism you look at the other as an object, involving desire and passion. It is understood that sexuality can be divided into three components: procreation, eroticism and love. Procreation talks about practicing sex with the mere purpose of reproducing, such as animals, there is no feeling in between. Eroticism speaks of a sexuality that explores its own desire and pleasure, involving a passion and an attraction. There is talk of love as a feeling of choice, where the end is not to procreate or satisfy a desire, but rather it seeks to share an emotional disposition with another. .
It is understood that eroticism is a characteristic of the human being. As explained by the French intellectual Georges Bataille, it is an experience "of inner life". With the aim of recognizing a symbology rooted to this concept or facet of the human being, associated branches are presented. Among these are distinguished in the novel: beauty, death, the forbidden and gender roles. In how water for chocolate, Laura Esquivel manages to create a connection between eroticism and the food of the novel, giving it a symbolism. According to the Royal Spanish Academy, a symbol is a "element or material object that, by convention or association, is considered representative of an entity, of an idea, of a certain condition". The symbology are key within a novel, since through these are you managed to build messages. In the novel The food is not only shown as a mechanism to highlight Mexican culture, but between lines it is possible to appreciate an even deeper meaning: eroticism.
Beauty is one of the roots of eroticism, according to the Italian philosopher, historian and politician Benedetto Croce, beauty is "successful expression". This is understood as "the quality of a person, animal or thing capable of provoking who contemplates or listens to them a sensory, intellectual, sexual or spiritual pleasure". Beauty is a primary factor of eroticism, since both manage to focus on pleasure and attraction. Eroticism is mainly based on attraction towards another, so that this exists, the concept known as beauty is of the utmost importance.
In the novel it is possible to glimpse this factor of eroticism. The beauty that food and attraction produces to the characters can be seen. Plato explains how beauty really is wrapped far beyond what is known as physical, but rather beauty as sensitivity. In relation to the novel the author is responsible for turning to beauty. This seeks to use its own concept that manages to break the stereotype of beauty in society, focuses on an element that we know as food, seeking to capture sensitivity and beauty in this. While the author plays with an element that breaks down of known beauty, this continues to use ancient symbologies of beauty, such as roses. The roses can be seen as a symbology of beauty, this relationship was born with the ancient legend of "the red roses". This explains how in the old Greek mythology the roses were originally white. Cibeles, an ancient goddess, looked extremely jealous before the beauty of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. Given this, he decides to spill his blood into a rose, with the intention of creating something much more beautiful than the old Aphrodite. Since then roses are known as an element of beauty.
In the novel, Tita receives a cluster of roses from her beloved Pedro. Given this, his mother Elena prohibits him from staying with them and orders him to get rid of the roses. Tita is wrapped in a crossroads by not wanting to do so, so the idea of cooking with them occurs. He decides to prepare one of the most exquisite and unusual recipes: "Quail in rose petals". The ingenious recipe ended up causing a powerful effect on who consumed it: "The fusion of Tita’s blood with the pink petals that Pedro had given him turned out to be the most explosive". Getrudis, Tita’s sister, was wrapped in a great impulse: "It seemed that the food he was ingesting produced in it an aphrodisiac effect because he began to feel that intense heat invaded his legs.". It is expressed how Tita’s recipe produces a sexually attractive effect by including roses: "Gertrudis, the lucky one in whom this unique sexual relationship was synthesized, through food". In this way, the way in which the author uses roses as an element of beauty to create and specify the ideal of eroticism is evidenced, this through a peculiar food channel. The food is able to cause strong sexual tension in the characters. The way in which "quail in pink petals" are capable of showing the beauty element through roses, lighting in Gertrudiz an erotic feeling in Gertrudiz is visualized. The author manages to break the general vision of what would raise beauty using food as a means, showing how any element has the ability to have an element of beauty itself. However, its relationship becomes clear when using the element of roses as its own beauty in eroticism, a symbolic element of beauty being roses.
Within other of the important elements when talking about eroticism is "death". A physical death is established, but also of a spiritual and symbolic nature, this when Tita and Pedro can finally give their erotic relationship. The French philosopher Georges Bataille explains that “precisely, when I speak of the reproduction of beings and death, I will strive to show how identical the continuity of beings and death are. Both are equally fascinating, and their fascination dominates eroticism ”. The ideas of this philosopher focus that eroticism is being able to possess and die for a second, to be in another: “There is a point where the primitive one becomes two. From the moment there are two, there are new discontinuity of each of the beings. But the step implies between them an awareness of continuity. The first dies, but in his death a fundamental moment of continuity of two beings appears ". You can connect to death as a beautiful idea, which seeks to be able to share an experience with another, with the aim of consummating your own death. Eroticism is explained as a source capable of achieving oneself.
In relation to the novel a break and a death between the relationship of Tita and Pedro is established: “Chencha found her with the pigeon in the hands. Tita seemed not to realize that she was dead. He tried to feed him more worms, the poor. The pigeon plays a role of representation of the established relationship between both characters is explained how. Pichón is a bird’s breeding, this can symbolize the fragile and naive relationship shared by both characters. Tita seeks at food to relive this erotic relationship that both share, seeks to "feed" the relationship as a stability search method. You can see the use of death in this appointment as a way of representing the death of the relationship between Tita and Pedro, suggesting the role that food plays in the work, used as a mechanism and a language for the relationship of bothcharacters.
In the work there is even a presence of death in a physical state. By achieving the established passion between both characters, a path to death occurs: "Pedro had died at the time of ecstasy when penetrating the light tunnel". Tita for her part did not want to die: "She didn’t want to die. I wanted to experience this same explosion of emotions many times more. This was just the beginning ". However, the protagonist regrets by not giving her life to the relationship between the two: "With Pedro, the possibility of turning on her inner fire, with him all the matches were going to turn on". In this way Tita decides to turn on the established erotic flame, managing to reach "death" with his beloved Pedro:
“When the phosphorus he chewed made contact with the luminous image he evoked, the mat. Little by little his vision was clarified until before his eyes the tunnel appeared again. There, at the entrance, there was Peter’s figure, waiting for her. Tita did not hesitate. He got to meet him and both melted in a long hug and experiencing a love climax again departed together towards a lost Eden."
Finally Pedro and Tita manage to correspond their attraction, managing to die in the other for a second. The author focuses the pigs with the idea of an inner fire, making known the erotic passion that manages to reinstate in Tita.
This concept is related to the purpose of explaining how fire manages to kill. The enormous passion that both characters shared ends up killing them in the literal and metaphorical sense. It expresses how you "eat" the pigs;In this way the relationship of death, eroticism and food is established. The only way Tita could re -establish such passion that he experienced with Pedro is feeding. Similarly, the use of death in the novel can be seen as a symbol of death of eroticism among the characters, implying the possible birth of love.
Death can be understood as a taboo subject within sexuality and life together. Together with this perception, another element part of eroticism is achieved, what is prohibited.
It is understood that the human being is prone to wanting to change reality, to break the rules established by society:
“The reason promises a subsequent benefit in exchange for the resignation of pleasure without limits. One could give to natural outburst, to the temptation to satisfy their wishes, to the impetuous enjoy. But he doesn’t. It is a self-arrange;Although, since man lives in society, it is first and foremost a collective restriction: the community assumes the paradox of restricting and restricting life so that life does not cease ” .
The pleasure in eroticism is forbidden, something that in a certain way makes an even more attractive element for human beings. Throughout the years, sexuality has been established as a topic of many times taboo: “Sex is suspected, judged as guilty while not demonstrating its innocence, and practically all erotic behavior is considered badly unless there is a specific reasonthat save and the most acceptable excuses are marriage, reproduction and love ". Bataille explains this process as a human being driving "towards self-ignorance". Prohibition is one of the most important elements when talking about eroticism. In the novel you can see the taboo element of eroticism, explaining how the end of sexuality should be to procreate.
The novel refers to the forbidden love that Tita and Pedro possess: "Pedro and Tita were excited to the tears when they saw their heroes make the love that was prohibited for them". When you want to possess another and not be able, a sexual tension of eroticism is created in the novel. You can see how Tita is not able to specify this love with Pedro for the orders of her mother Elena. This element is related to the food, since the food managesfound Tita ". The "smell" of food manages to lead Pedro to Tita, these sensations of the character make him go beyond the forbidden, so that eroticism is internally. The taboo of sexuality is explained in the novel in a context outside of procreation: "Lord, it is not by vice or fornicio but for giving a child to your service". With this, it is possible to glimpse how food is a language among the realction of both characters, which in a certain way is repressed. You can see how food really manages to "seduce" Pedro to Tita, shared food as an element of flirting between them. Thus, the way in which the different flavors, smells, textures and colors of the food attract and intensify this forbidden love, a concept of eroticism is appreciated.
In the novel, Laura Esquive. It can be distinguished that many times gender is an important exponent when talking about sexuality. Within history, a repression of erotic character within female sexuality has been implemented, which has created a masochism in many relationships. The psychiatrist-psychologist Freud explains how male sexuality is "envied" by the female, speaking of the castration complex: "According to Freud, the girl recognizes the fact of castration and, thus (neurotically, of course), the superiorityof the man and his own inferiority ". In relation to the role that both genres play, Bourdieu explains that
“If the sexual relationship appears as a social relationship of dominations because it is constituted through the principle of fundamental division between the masculine, active, and the feminine, passive, and that principle creates, organizes, expresses and directs desire, male desireAs a desire for possession, as erotic domination, and female desire as a desire for male domination, as eroticized subordination, or even, in its limit, eroticized recognition of domination ”.
In this way, it implies that "for many women, a dominant statute of men is exciting". However, Rubin explains how there has been a repression of women’s sexuality:
“It is not by accident that pornography and perversions have been considered aspects of male domain. In the sex industry, women have been excluded from most production and consumption, and have been allowed to participate mainly as workers. In order to participate in "perversions" women have had to overcome important limitations to their social mobility, their economic resources and their sexual freedoms ".
In relation to the novel this is not far behind in gender issues and eroticism. Laura Esquivel creates a break and a new perspective breaking the stereotype proposed by Freud. The author raises a novel where the woman, Tita, is really the "strong" figure and leader in sexuality: "Tita felt that a violent agitation took possession of her being: he firmly faced her mother’s gaze as she caressed theChorizo and then, instead of obeying her, he took all the sausages he found and left them in pieces, shouting crazy ”. It is appreciated how food is related to a symbolism of male repression breaks in sexuality. Chorizo symbolizes the possessive and strong figure, specifically the male reproductive system, which tries to imply the representation of the authority. You can see how Tita breaks the authoritarian stereotype implemented by society, creating a breakdown of eroticism and repressive sexuality for femininity, in other words, falocracy. Finally, he makes known the way the protagonist manages to create a rebellion in relation to this.
During the novel a clear relationship with women and food is established. From a certain point of view, it can be a constant relationship that the woman has with the chores of the house, as Freud is, with the objective of capturing that female sexuality is tending to "take care of the interests of love and family". In relation to this point of view it can be seen that the author tries to reflect the ancient idea of women in relation to domestic tasks, explaining how much tita and the woman in general is responsible for the kitchen.
However, it could be affirmed that this element is actually used with the objective of breaking the taboo established in female sexuality. So, food is a symbology of eroticism and shows women not necessarily as an object within eroticism, but rather as the subject. Creating such a close connection of women with food, this with the aim of explaining how women actually presents great power within human sexuality. It tries to break the stereotype that only the male sex is really close to what is known as eroticism, clarifying that it really "handles" the relationship it possesses with Pedro. It can be noted that she "cooks" the relationship, implying that she really is the subject.
conclusion
After the analysis of how water for chocolate is evidenced how food manages to represent eroticism within the novel. This through the use of various concepts that embrace eroticism, such as beauty, death, forbidden and gender.
The food is finally used as a means of communication between the characters: "Invented a new recipe with the intention of recovering the relationship between it and Pedro had emerged through food". The exceptional way in which the Mexican author manages to create an erotic connotation symbol throughout the novel to explain the relationships of the characters, specifically implying repressed love between Tita and Pedro.
Laura Esquivel is able to introduce a form of language that travels far beyond letters, the author uses food as a medium. The work manages to break with a very typical stereotype of society in terms of sexuality, eroticism.
I consider that, although it can be seen as a romantic novel, it entails a much deeper meaning and objective. In the work issues about sexuality and gender are displayed, explaining the perspective of society before this. The Mexican author breaks with the phallocentric vision, but above all of the taboo implanted in eroticism, by using such a common and fundamental means in life, food.
Eroticism is able to see represented in food, as the main element of the work, a very interesting look that is used to this day. In relation to eroticism, the way in which the food is internal in the human erotic mental scheme is evidenced. For example, the fact given to bananas.
In relation to future research, I consider that it would be very interesting to know the relationship of the novel with Mexican culture. That is, to consider that in the Mesoamerican case, water and chocolate were considered one of the elements that were formerly located in the tombs. This could be a symbolism of death, implying how traditions not only die, but finally dies eroticism in the novel and love is born.
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