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What does Mama Elena's ghost symbolize in Like Water for Chocolate?
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Mama Elena's ghost in Like Water for Chocolate symbolizes traditional family roles, the pressure to fulfill these roles, and the guilt associated with deviating from them. Her ghost visits Tita, embodying the inter-generational tension and control exerted over family members. Tita's struggle with Mama Elena's expectations highlights the conflict between personal desires and familial duties, emphasizing the persistent influence of hierarchical family dynamics.
In Like Water for Chocolate, Mama Elena's ghost represents traditional family roles, expectations to fill those roles, and the guilt and shame that someone can be burdened with when that person chooses to not fully meet those expectations. Mama Elenas's ghost visits Tita and guilts Tita for choosing to follow her heart and pursue romance with Pedro, since that decision affected how much Tita could meet familial expectations. Mama Elena's ghost also represents inter-generational tension between familial members as Mama Elena had a certain expectation of Tita that can be attributed to differences in generational expectations of family members. Mama Elena's ghost also represents general control and hierarchy. Tita is shamed for choosing to follow her own path in life, even as she also responds to her family's needs.
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