Simple Passion

This text is written in a rather peculiar way. The notion of time does not exist as it does to most people. Normally, people hold the time associated with an event to be as important as the place in which it occurred. I don't necessarily mean the exact time, but rather it's significance in chronology. The author has absolutely no concept of time in this fashion. As she describes, time was simply split into her time with him and her time longing to be with him. I find this to be a very interesting representation because it is true to her experience. During this period with A, her affair with him was her life. Everything else was moved to the periphery; if she wasn't with him, she was shopping for something to make her experience with him more enjoyable, or day dreaming of being with him. Her passion for him was so strong it distorted any normal notion of time into this absolute breakdown.

While reading this, the question of whether or not this infatuation was healthy kept popping into my mind. At first I wanted to dismiss her as crazy and wasting her life. She was living for only a few brief moments, which she seemed not to be able to enjoy at the time. How can it be considered a healthy life when every waking moment was dedicated to him in one way or another. I felt sorry for her. But then I realized just how lucky she actually was. She experienced a level of passion that most people could only dream of, and she had it for a relatively long time, too. This story is just as beautiful as any well inspired love poem, but it is more genuine in that it is written in prose that expresses exactly what it means to say; it is not made up like she made herself up for A. I envy her, for even if her longing for A tortured her in their time apart, it allowed her to experience absolute bliss, if only for fleeting moments.

Like Water for Chocolate

"For the first time in their lives, Tita and Pedro could make love freely." This quote is fairly simple and straightforward, but that doesn't mean it lacks significance. Tita had been destined since birth for sadness, as she couldn't marry thanks to her family's ridiculous tradition. She and Pedro were in love, but any showing of it would hurt those around them and cause Mama Elena to lose her temper. This moment marked the first instance of true happiness for Tita, for she was finally unrestricted in showing her love for Pedro. Ultimately, it caused her death, or the release of her soul, but it was in this death that she finally achieved happiness.
"I know who I am! A person who has a perfect right to live her life as she pleases. Once and for all, leave me alone; I won't put up with you! I hate you, I've always hated you!" Tita screams this tirade to the ghost of Mama Elena, who has come back to haunt her for her affair with Pedro. This quote has been brewing since the beginning of the novel. Mama Elena was horrible to Tita, ruining her life and making her love interest marry her sister, so she could become an old maid and take care of her mother. This quote signifies the rejection of all of the expectations and limitations placed on Tita by her mother. The damage has surely been done already, but Tita at least got the satisfaction putting her mother in her place. However, she also paid for it in pushing Mama Elena to burn Pedro...
"There's one thing for sure. I'm not going to allow you to poison your daughter with those sick ideas you have in your head. I'm not going to let you ruin her life either, forcing her to follow some stupid tradition!" This quote, found in November, shows Tita lashing out against her sister Rosaura the way she did in the last chapter against her mother. Tita lived the hell of being destined to the single life of a care taker, and she wished it upon nobody, especially Esperenza, the niece she loved. It is especially appalling that Rosaura put this fate on her daughter simply to spite Tita, who had an affair with Pedro, her love. It is understandable for Rosaura to spite Tita, but not through the oppression of her own daughter.

Volver

Finally! The man-bashing I was waiting for! Let me begin by saying that I absolutely loved this film. It captivated my interest at every point and told a genuine, touching story. As a man, however, I feel a little snubbed. There are only two major male characters in the story, and though they are major forces in the story, they are not very prevalent in the actual film. The first male character is Paco, Raimunda's wife and Paula's adoptive father. He is only present for the very beginning of the film, but he doesn't need much time for us to develop a hatred for him anyway. He has just lost his job, is apparently a drunkard, and seems to misunderstand sexual cues. On his way to bed, he sees his adopted daughter changing through the crack in her bedroom door, and stares for a second at her nude back. Then as he enters his bed, he aggressively attempts to make love to Raimunda, who refuses his advances. In potentially the most awkward situation I've ever seen depicted in a film, he pleasures himself just inches away from Raimunda, who begins to silently cry. The next day, we find out that Paula has killed him to fight off his attempt to rape her. What a great guy. The second male character is also key to the story, but entirely absent. He is Irene's husband and Raimunda's father. I don't believe his name is actually given. It is revealed later in the film that he actually impregnated Raimunda, his daughter, and that Paula is the product of incest. He also habitually cheated on Irene.

The role of men in this film is thus only to propagate evil. Without the actions of Raimunda's father, there would not have been any issue in the first place, as Irene would never have started the fire that killed him and his lover, meaning she never would have had to go into hiding / act as though she was a ghost. Furthermore, Raimunda would never have been impregnated and Paula would never have been born. Paco also plays his role in giving the women in the story line hell, as he causes Raimunda and Paula to live a lie, with the former having to resort to numerous absurdities to pull it off. The women in this film have all done good and bad; they are not portrayed as perfect characters. However, the bad they have had to do was the direct result of the horrible actions of these men. The women are entirely justified in their actions, being it killing Paco, burying him, or Irene killing her husband and his lover.

Men are evil.