Like Water for Chocolate Reader Response

Like Water for Chocolate

            Deep, dark, romantic, and delicious were a few words that came into my head while reading “Like Water for Chocolate”. Not only is this a passionate yet torturing love story, it also appeals and pleases the reader’s appetite, leaving one hungry. I loved this novel, when I began reading it, I could not hardly put it down. I will admit when the novel had me confused in the beginning with the recipes, but after I started thinking of how Esquivel was incorporating them with the emotions of the characters everything was clear.

            Tita was the character that I related to the most, but I found Gertrudis to be the most interesting and exciting. Not only for her brave naked escape, but for her tough girl attitude and power over men by leading an army, this astonished me because normally in society and different cultures, women aren’t supposed to have that kind of power. From the novel, I decided that on a certain societal level that in order to be happy in life, one would need to be a mixture between Tita and Gerturdis. When it comes to love I can relate to Tita through how passionate she is with many things in her life such as cooking, Pedro, and being in love, except I am passionate more about writing and love. I also liked that I could relate to Gertrudis because she is a leader who in my opinion is a strong independent woman, which is what I in the end hope to be. The characters I despised and couldn’t relate to were Mama Elena and Rosaura, both had different views and opinions on life and how to act that I was not used to, but I can see where they were coming from.

            This novel was so enjoyable, every chapter was described in so much detail that it was hard to not feel as though I was one of the characters myself. Each chapter was laid out and detailed to where it was easy to picture the dishes that were being made or what was going on in that point in time. My favorite part of the novel was the chicken tornado, not only is it crazy and random, but while reading I actually could picture the feathers going everywhere, and see the chickens fighting. Another well detailed part of the novel was when the soldiers came to raid Mama Elena’s home, I could actually envision her standing with the gun and standing her ground to make them leave.

            Overall if I had to pick another love story that relates to the one in “Like Water for Chocolate”, I would choose “Romeo and Juliet” because both can relate in different ways. In “Romeo and Juliet” both families did not like each other and didn’t want Romeo and Juliet together, in “Like Water for Chocolate” Mama Elena did not want Tita marrying Pedro or else she would lose her life servant. In Romeo and Juliet, both would secretly visit one another, just as Pedro and Tita would do. In the end, both sets of characters though not in the same way ended up with their lovers in the end. I think it is uncanny how closely the two love stories can be related, yet how culturally different the views are that makes both different.

            This was one of my favorite novels that I have read in a while, the detail, point of view the story was told through, and characters make it interesting and very enjoyable. I would strongly recommend anyone who is not ethnocentric to read “Like Water for Chocolate” in order to get an idea of Mexican cultures and to view what is going on in the novel through a different perspective.

            

Zorro Reader Response

Allende Reader Response

            After reading Zorro, my personal thought of the image of the character and the story changed. I remember when I was younger sitting in front of the television and episodes of Zorro would come on, but each were so different I could never tell what the whole plot or what was to be taken from the episodes. I loved Isabel Allende’s version of Zorro it’s full of action and I personally think it tells the tale of Zorro better than anything that I have come across.

            The images used draws the reader in the most, I remember while reading, reaching the first part of Zorro the class was assigned, but being unable to put the book down due to the images. Also the reader can be drawn into the story by that way Allende bounces back and forth between Diego’s past and present through images and narrative. The image that I found powerful from the graphic novel was the image from the rape scene. The image showed so little but silently it tells so much, though there was blood and gore in some of the images the rape scene was so horrific to me.

            Not only do the images speak for the graphic novel, but without the words the novel would not come together. This story relates to me because I share the same beliefs as Zorro, justice for all and to bring down wrong doers. Zorro shares his opinions to people through fighting for justice and leaving the mark of his name with a “Z”, I fight for justice by voicing my opinion. We are the same in beliefs, but obviously different in our style of fighting, as much as I’d love to bring justice to bad guys with a sword dressed in black, but realistically that’ not possible.

            Overall, I love the way the novel is laid out starting with the boys in the cave, which later related to the cave becoming the new hide out and coven for Zorro. One part I found confusing and interesting was that Zorro ended up with the black horse which was Bernardo’s spirit animal. After thinking about this part I tried piecing together reasoning and determined that Bernardo and Diego were connected and fighting as one through the horse Tornado. Another part of the novel I liked was when Diego was fighting to join La Justicia, even after he left Barcelona continued being a part of the group as well as introducing it to America.

            I would strongly recommend this graphic novel to anyone who likes action, adventure, and excitement because that is exactly what Zorro is. This novel also works he reader into the tale and makes them appreciate a good action tale that is also tied in with Mexican values.