Breaking of Tradition and Attaining Independence

In the film "Como agua para chocolate," Tita is first forced to work in the kitchen, serve her family, and remain with her mother until death. The latter is what causes the most pain. It is a tradition that she does not agree with and hopes that it will end with her. This is telling of a tradition that woman need to live up to, one that, by either society or family is forced upon them and restricts their sense of identity and self. Even though there were no men in the household, Tita, still remains the servant for her family. Her mother is the one that takes on the role of what in society would be called the "man of the house." She is not at all appreciated by the people that she cooks for and serves. The fact that the only outlet she can find is in cooking defies many of the feminist view points that state that women can not find independence as long as they are tied to these household duties and especially those of the kitchen, which they are most closely associated with. But this does not have to be necessarily so. In the mind of Tita this becomes her own independent space where she expresses her deepest feeling through her food. So much her feelings manifest themselves on the people that she cooks them for. Although, food cannot really make people cry as it did in the wedding of her sister; its exaggeration in the movie shows how her food is her mode of expression and her way of making herself independent from the constraints of her mother. Food really becomes and identity for her, and one that she embraces.