Like Water for Chocolate

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What important social and political changes were taking place in Mexico in the early 20th century?

Teaching Suggestion: Like Water for Chocolate takes place during a pivotal time in Mexican history, and its plot can be read as a commentary on this period. Students may know little about Mexican history. If so, you might encourage them to make logical guesses as a schema-activation exercise. Then, you might offer students the resources below, asking them to revise their answers based on their new knowledge.

• This article from the Constitutional Rights Foundation explains the reasons for and consequences of the Mexican Revolution.
• This article from the History Channel explores the role of women in the Mexican Revolution.
• This article celebrates the social and political reforms ushered in by the 1917 Mexican Constitution.

2. What does the term “magical realism” mean? What works of literature or film are you familiar with in this genre? How does magical realism differ from other genres, like science fiction, horror, and fantasy?

Teaching Suggestion: Esquivel’s novel is considered a seminal text in the tradition of magical realism. If students are unfamiliar with this term, you might begin with an open discussion. You could point out that “magical realism” is an oxymoron and ask what the tension between the words “magic” and “real” conveys. Then, you might offer students the resources below and formulate a succinct definition afterwards as a class.

• This 7-minute video explains the difference between fantasy and magical realism.
• This article from MasterClass reviews characteristics of the magical realism genre and provides examples, including Like Water for Chocolate.
• This article explores the purposes of magical realism. (Note: This article mentions school shootings and sexual assault; it may not be appropriate for all students.)

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Are there traditions, beliefs, or practices in your family that feel unfair to you? If not, can you think of a text, movie, or television show in which a family tradition is unfair to at least one member of the family? How do you think families justify these practices?

Teaching Suggestion: In the family at the center of Like Water for Chocolate, the youngest daughter, Tita, is expected to remain perpetually single and devote herself to taking care of her mother. This prompt encourages students to not only empathize with Tita, but also to consider the dynamics of the family around her and the complexity of negotiating roles within a family. To stimulate discussion, you might first provide a personal or literary example, or you could ask students to create lists of family traditions, beliefs, or practices with which they are already familiar. Sharing these lists or discussing them as a class may help students generate ideas and connect to the prompt on a deeper level.