woman who fights against those limitations . The researcher divides Tita’s
resistance against the patriarchal practices given to her into two ways. The first way is through passive aggression which is in the form of non-verbal action
counselling-directory.org.uk. The second way is through direct action, which is done by confronting the people who apply the patriarchal practices. Those ways
will be explained further in the description below.
1. Passive Aggression
Tita who is known as an obedient daughter begins to question about the value of the family tradition applied to her which states that she cannot get
married because she is obliged to take care of her mother. Still Tita did not submit. Doubts and anxieties sprang to her mind. For
one thing, she wanted to know who started this family tradition. It would be nice if she could let that genius know about one little flaw in this
perfect plan for taking care of women in their old age Esquivel, 1992: 11.
Her questioning of the family tradition shows her doubt and her refusal toward it. It can be seen that Tita begins to rebel the family tradition that prohibits
her to get married. Her second passive aggression which implies her refusal to the patriarchal practice
is that she wishes for her mother’s death when the revolutionaries come to their ranch.
While she was in her hiding place, she had prayed that nothing bad would happen to Mama Elena, but unconsciously she had hoped that when she
got out she would find her mother dead Esquivel, 1992: 92. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Her unconscious exp ectation that hoping Mama Elena’s death, shows her
other refusal toward the patriarchal practices. Mama Elena is the person who prohibits her to get married, with her death it means that Tita is free to get
married. Her next refusal of family tradition through her passive aggression is
addressed to Rosaura. It happens when Rosaura declares that, Esperanza, her last daughter will not get married and will take care of her as long as she lives.
If only Rosaura had burned her mouth to a crisp And had never let those words leak out, those foul, filthy, frightful, repulsive, revolting,
unreasonable words. Better to have swallowed them and kept them deep in her bowels until they were putrid and worm-eaten Esquivel, 1992:
150.
Her thought about what Rosaura has said shows that her objection toward the family tradition is stronger. She even curses the words spoken by Rosaura
with many terms which show her hatred and disagreement to Rosaura’s decision. Her other passive aggression is by expressing her feeling through the
food she cooks. The day when Pedro marries Rosaura, she is really sad but her mother tells her not to show her misery. On that day, she is the one who is
responsible of the food for the wedding. Her sadness affects the taste of the food she made.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didnt notice that all around her something very strange was taking place. The moment they
took their first bite of the cake, everyone was flooded with a great wave of longing. Even Pedro, usually so proper, was having trouble holding
back his tears. Mama Elena, who hadnt shed a single tear over her husbands death, was sobbing silently Esquivel, 1992: 39.
The sadness felt by the people on the wedding is Tita’s repressed feeling. The effect to the food can be said as Tita’s refusal towards the fate she should
have because of the family tradition that she does not even agree to do. Her feeling expressed through the food she cooks is not only the sadness,
but also the love she has for Pedro. The roses Pedro gives to her are cooked into delicious food by her and it delivers the passionate love.
That had been a tragedy, but nothing like the one that shook the ranch this time. Titas blood and the roses from Pedro proved quite an
explosive combination. Everyone was a little tense as they sat down at the table, but thats as far as it went until the quail were served. It wasnt
enough hed made his wife jealous earlier, for when Pedro tasted his first mouthful, he couldnt help closing his eyes in voluptuous delight and
exclaiming: It is a dish for the gods Esquivel, 1992: 51.
The passionate love that Tita delivers through the food expresses her resistance against her mother’s rule which makes her get rid of her feeling toward
Pedro. By turning the flowers into delicious meal, Tita fights against her mother’s
command which asks her to throw away the flowers. It is also the form of Tita’s
statement that even her mother bans her from marrying Pedro, but their love will not stop. Through the food, Tita still can deliver her love to Pedroeven Mama
Elena who strictly forbids her can feel it too. For Tita, kitchen is not only a prison which bounds her obligation but also
be her source of power. The kitchen gives her a chance to express her feeling PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
through the cooking. The different taste of the food she cooks symbolizes her repressed feeling. She does not differentiate the taste of the food purposely. Her
skill in cooking and her rebelliousness encourage her to express her repressed feeling, which results in different taste of food depends on her mood when
cooking. The last passive aggression
of Tita’s refusal to the limitation she gets is really improving. She bravely decides not to come back to the ranch after she is
brought to Dr. Brown’s house to be taken care of from her shock after Roberto’s death.
As they were saying good-bye, Tita told Chencha her decision never to go back to the ranch again; she asked her to tell Mama Elena Esquivel,
1992: 127.
Tita’s decision not to go back to the ranch shows her extreme refusal to the patriarchal practice which states that women should be submissive. She
becomes decisive and breaks the norms by not coming back to her mother, which means she wants to gain her freedom.
2. Direct Action
