Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate has a setting of Mexican Revolutionary War. During that period, patriarchal culture was still practiced and
inherited among the generations. Before the war began until its beginning, Mexican women were oppressed by patriarchal norms.
...Mexican Revolution in the years between 1911 and 1920.¹ At this time in Mexican history, a patriarchal society constrained women and limited
their lives in nearly every aspect Fernandez, 2009: 53. This novel is worth to be discussed since it contains many interesting
information about Mexico and the Mexicans. The novel is also attractively arranged by Esquivel by providing monthly recipe of Mexican food in the
beginning of each chapter. Besides, there is an issue which attracts the researcher’s curiosity that is the oppression towards women which is not only
done by men, but also by women. As it has been stated above, the mothers should deliver the traditional norms to the daughters. It means during the process of
internalization and socialization of the norms, there will be a kind of oppression to the
daughters so
they will
be obedient
to accept
the norms
family.lovetoknow.com. In Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate, there is a girl named Tita
who struggles against her mother named Mama Elena. She fights against her mother
’s authoritativeness and oppression. By fighting her mother, she also fights against the traditional culture in Mexican society which limits
women’s freedom.
B. Problem Formulation
To help the readers understand the topic stated above, the researcher provides some questions to support the analysis. They are:
1. What are the descriptions of Tita’s characteristics?
2. What are the patriarchal practices experienced by Tita?
3. How does Tita resist against the patriarchal practices she experienced?
C. Objective of the Study
The researcher formulates the problems as such in order to maintain the fo
cus in revealing Tita’s resistance against the patriarchal norms in her surroundings. The first problem formulation aims at
describing Tita’s characteristics through her way of thinking and action. By understanding her
characteristics, the researcher will be able to know Tita in personal explanation. Later, it can be used to find the patriarchal practices Tita experienced and her
reaction to those practices. The second problem formulation aims at revealing the patriarchal practices
experienced by Tita, whether it is direct or indirect. By understanding the patriarchal practices experienced by Tita, the researcher will be able to identify the
oppression that she suffered from and it can also be known the resistance of Tita against the patriarchal practices.
The third problem formulation is aimed at revealing Tita’s resistance
against the patriarchal practices she experienced and whether it happened to her directly or indirectly. This way, the researcher will be able to understand more
about how Tita reacts, responds, and solves her and other women’s suffering from
the practices of patriarchy. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
D. Definition of Terms
There are some terms which are used in this research. Therefore, to support the understanding of the reader, the researcher provides the definitions of
these terms. 1.
Resistance Resistance is an action of someone against some rules which are felt to
push him or her. As it is stated in “Glossary of Women’s Studies Terms”
A variety of techniques employed by oppressed people as a reaction to oppression, ranging from passive aggression to social critique, direct
action and open rebellion grccwomenstudies.files.wordpress.com. 2.
Patriarchy Patriarchy is a set of system in which women are dominated by men. As
Hartmann said in her article in Women’s Studies A Reader, patriarchy is defined as
… a set of social relations which has a material base and in which there are hierarchical relations between men and solidarity among them which
enable them in turn to dominate women 1993: 14. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
7
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW
