Like Water For Chocolate: Synthesis 9-12

Our symbol was more so neutral up until really the very end. It was important up until chapter seven when she left the ranch and went to Doctor Brown's house. After that we didn't get anything else on it until the very end, when Tita burned up the ranch.
It was a big symbol of hope to Tita when marriage might've still happened for her with Pedro. "Finally she went to her sewing box and pulled out the bedspread she had started the day Pedro first spoke of marriage (Esquirel 19)." The bedspread disappeared after Tita went to Doctor Brown's because that was when she had truly lost hope and given up on the idea of marriage. 

Like Water For Chocolate Chapter 12

Characters: Tita, Dr. Brown, Pedro, Rosaura, Gertrudis, Alex, Esperanza, Chencha

The recipe for this chapter is Chilies in walnut sauce.

The chapter takes place at the ranch.

Chencha and Tita as in the kitchen making the chapter’s recipe in preparation for Alex and Esperanza. They are the last ones in the kitchen due to everyone getting tired and leaving. Tita thinks about how Rosaura would have loved to be a part of this, but since she’s been dead for nearly a year due to unknown circumstances. We learn that at some point there was a small truce in the household when Rosaura and Tita struck up a deal that Tita would be in charge of feeding the child, while Rosaura was in charge of her education. Things fell apart again when Pedro and Tita insisted the girl go to school and learn more than just dancing, singing, and piano playing for when Rosaura is old; reluctantly Rosaura agrees. Things get even worse when the subject of Esperanza marrying comes up; but since Rosaura is now dead, there is nothing in the way of the engagement. Tita thinks about how hard Dr. Brown worked in helping prepare the dish, and how he was the last one to leave to rest. We switch over to Pedro’s point of view and see that wild jealousy aimed at Dr. Brown and Tita’s relationship is keeping him from getting any sort of sleep. Soon we transition over to the wedding where Tita and Pedro dance, showing that the toe of them are happy together now that both Mama and Elena and Rosaura are out of the picture. Everyone at the wedding enjoys the chillies with walnut sauce, but soon have to flee the scene because of intense feelings popping up similar to what Gertrudis felt after the quail with rose sauce; needless to say there was some very intense love making that night. Once everyone had left the rance, Tita and Pedro finally had some time on their own, and so they headed into the dark room, which now has candles lit EVERYWHERE. Each person thinks the other did it, and none of them notice Nacha standing in the corner, lighting one last candle before vanishing. Tita and Pedro have some very passionate love before Pedro just dies. Tita, overcome with grief, leaves the room, grabs the bedspread which is now big enough to cover the entire ranch, then goes to eat some candles in oder to try and rekindle her matches. After thinking of good memories of Pedro, the candles light inside her and she goes to see him once again, because she also died. The flame from the candle catches on the bedspread, and the whole ranch goes up in flames. People think that it’s fireworks going off in celebration, but go to investigates when they won’t stop for a week. The ground where the ranch stood is said to be some of the most fertile ground in the area, and everything grows there. At the end of the book we learn that the narrator was Esperanza’s daughter, recounting the recipes and stories that went along with them from an old cookbook that was rescued from the ashes.

Like Water For Chocolate: Chapter 11

Once again, the bedspread is non-existent in ch.11 of Like Water For Chocolate.  This could be because Tita is caught in the crossfire choosing between DR. Brown and Pedro. Even more so now that Tita had that "special" night with Pedro but feeling a deep love towards Dr. Brown.  In chapter 1, we first heard of how the bedspread was Tita's hope that Pedro and her would still get married.  The absence of it is because Pedro is not the only holder of her heart anymore, Dr. Brown is as well.  We don't see the bedspread because Tita is unsure of whether she should choose Dr. Brown or Pedro, she isn't "set in stone" on who she should end up with.  If she was totally all for Pedro, we would begin to see the bedspread again. 


-Ashley 

Like Water For Chocolate: Chapter 10

Recipe of the chapter: Fritters
Setting: Ranch
Characters: Tita, Pedro, Rosaura, Esperanza, Ghost Elena, Gertrudis and her troop

So during this chapter, we learn how to make syrup for fritters. Mama's ghost came back to Tita, telling her to go far away from here to not cause others trouble, and what ends up happening is she end up smashing a lamp, setting Pedro on fire. Gertrudis uses her skirt to stop Pedro from running around "like a human torch" and they finally put the fire out. Pedro then has burn wounds and as he lays there he says Tita's name instead of his wife's. Tita then spends the rest of the chapter caring for him through the night.

The bedspread wasn't mentioned in this chapter.

Like Water For Chocolate: Chapter 9

Recipe of the chapter: Three Kings Day bread/ Hot chocolate
Setting: Ranch
Characters: Tita, Pedro, Rosaura, Esperanza, Ghost Elena, Gertrudis and her troop, the Loboses

We have a lot of new things happen in this chapter. At the end of the last chapter, we got Tita and Pedro making love. Afterward, Tita's convinced she's pregnant.  Mama Elena is also continually bothering Tita, trying to guilt her about her pregnancy. She tells Tita her baby is cursed. This is pretty hypocritical but I mean that's never stopped her. Rosaura's health is getting to be awful? She's gaining weight and she doesn't smell real great. She goes to Tita for help, who tells her to chew mint leaves and gargle a mixture. Pedro is avoiding Rosaura and it isn't helping her. Oh! Gertrudis is back! She's brought her troop with her too. She's highly respected and a General now!
The bedspread wasn't mentioned in this chapter.

Like Water For Chocolate: Synthesis 4-8

From after chapter 4, we've started to see some major shifts and changes. Our symbol is, obviously, the bedspread. The bedspread is coming up less and less and we've thought this might be because Tita is back at the ranch and Pedro is there. Also, we get a new potential love interest, John Brown.

    The bedspread is very long. The last we saw was in chapter 5 at the very end, when Dr. Brown comes and takes Tita off the ranch. It was dragging behind them in the dirt due to size, and this might mean something. It might show the growing insignificance of Tita and Pedro's love. John has started to come into the picture and dwarf their affair.  It could also show Tita's growing uncaring attitude towards Pedro.

  The absence of the bedspread before may represent how Tita's feelings for Pedro are slowly fading, and her thoughts and feelings are going to Dr. Brown.  At the end of chapter 8 however, things may start heating up again for Pedro and Tita throughout the rest of the book. The bedspread might start to show up again due to this.

Like Water For Chocolate Chapter 8

Characters: Tita, Pedro, Dr. Brown, Chencha, Esperanza (Pedro and Rosaura’s daughter) Jesus Martinez (Chencha lover)

The chapter’s recipe is Champandongo

The chapter takes place in the Ranch

Tita is frantically trying to prepare a meal for when Dr. Brown comes over to the ranch to ask for her hand in marriage. She would normally have lots of time to do it, but due to the birth of Rosaura’s daughter Esperanza, and Rosaura’s inability to feed her, Tita has to take control again, reducing her time to prepare the meal. It is noticed that Esperanza’s life is taking a similar course to Tita’s, since they’ve both had to be raised in the kitchen, and Tita is worried that Rosaura might decided to keep her daughter from marrying like Mama Elena did to Tita. Rosaura decides that Esperanza needs to spend more time with her and less in the kitchen, but the child has already grown attached and will not stop crying. Tita eventually has to keep carrying dishes up and down the stairs to keep her satisfied, and on the last trip she falls, dropping all the food she was carrying. Pedro shows up to make matters worse by trying to tell Tita not to Marry Dr. Brown, and she yells at him to never speak with her again, then calls him a coward. Chencha shows up to lift Tita’s seemingly never ending irritation and brings along her new husband Jesus Martinez, who seemed to help her cope with the trauma the bandits left. Chencha helps fix the meal while Tita goes to take a shower, only to once again encounter Pedro as he watches her bathe. The time finally comes for Dr. Brown to arrive, and Tita goes to greet him after some last minutes setups. Pedro and Brown are arguing about politics when Tita comes in, which breaks rules about manners. Dr. Brown presents Tita with a ring to ask for her hand and Pedro, being the man of the house at this point, reluctantly agrees. Once the meal is finished Tita and Dr. Brown kiss each other goodbye, as he has to leave to get his only surviving aunt from the US, and then Tita goes off to do some chores around the house to calm down her conflicted emotions. She goes to the store room to put some kitchen utensils away, not knowing she’s being followed by Pedro until he shuts and locks the door; Tita and Pedro then engage in what I can only describe as love making so passionate and powerful that multicolored steam starts flying from the storeroom. Upon seeing this, Rosaura then proceeds to pray, thinking it was Mama Elena’s restless spirit still roaming the ranch due to unfinished business.