Like Water for Chocolate Like Water For Chocolate can be
distilled into the stories of two women, Tita De La Garza and
her mother, the formidable Mama Elena. The trajectory of their
struggle against one another is the axis around which the entire
novel turns. Tita, the protagonist, strives for love, freedom,
and individuality, and Mama Elena, the chief antagonist, stands
as the prime opposition to the fulfillment of these goals. This
mother-daughter relationship is fraught with difficulty from its
inception, when Tita is brought into the world prematurely after
her father's sudden death. Mama Elena is the opposite of a
nurturer, never forging any bond with Tita. Tita develops a
relationship with food that gives her the power to nurture and
give outlet to her emotions. As with most literary pairings,
Tita and Mama Elena share a central characteristic that defines
both their individual struggles and their conflict with each
other. The revelation that Mama Elena herself suffered the pangs
of lost love is an impo