Esquivel, 1992: 178-179. When she starts dancing spiritedly she lifts her skirt until her knee so that she can move freely. Yet, her action triggers dishonor
comments from the women at the party, as stated: “She lightly hitched her skirt up
to her knee, quite uninhibited. This attitude provoked scandalized comments among the ladies gathered there
” Esquivel, 1992: 180. The dishonor reaction from the women around Gertrudis shows that
women are really limited in every inch of their move. It also implies that the patriarchal norm about women’s attitude and virginity has been strongly rooted in
women’s mind. Beside about the virginity, everything which seems having relation to women’s body should be covered. It is impolite to expose them even
though the intention of exposing them is not to trigger sexual desire.
3. Gender Roles
Andersen stated that “Gender roles are the expectations for behavior and
attitudes that the culture defines as appropriate for women and men” 1997: 31. These roles between men and women are different. Men are expected to have the
promotion of symbolic or fantasy play, competition, constructiveness, while women are expected to have the sense of manipulability, creativity, nurturance,
and attractiveness Lips, 1989: 3. The patriarchal norms rule women to have obligation mainly in domestic areas such as cooking and taking care of the
household. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
In this novel, it is obviously told along the story that Mexican women should be able to cook and take care of the household. Each chapter of the novel
starts with recipes and the following story also contains of the cooking activity. The story tells how Mama Elena, Tita, and the female characters in the story do
the process of cooking. Even Mama Elena who is the leader of the family and described as having the power to control the family also still joins the cooking
activity, as stated:
Mama Elena and Chencha finished filling the sausages in silence. Mama Elena was always such a perfectionist and so careful to get all the air out
of the sausage … Esquivel, 1989: 99.
As it is known, Mama Elena is the one who has the authority to command the people in the house. Yet, she is still bounded by the patriarchal value that a
woman should master in domestic area such as cooking. Therefore, in the story, the w
riter shows Mama Elena’s participation in cooking activity. When it comes to family, women are really expected to be able to cook. Otherwise, if a woman
cannot cook, she will be mocked or even from herself she will feel insecure because her husband may fall in love with other women whose cooking is good.
The example is Rosaura. She is not accustomed to cook, even she does not like to be in the kitchen because of her trauma with cooking tools. Yet, when she
becomes Pedro’s wife, she forces herself to cook because she is jealous at Tita who gets Pedro’s compliment of her cooking. As stated:
But no one at the table dared display the tiniest hint of displeasure, not after Mama Elena had pointedly remarked: As the first meal that
Rosaura has cooked it isnt bad. Dont you agree, Pedro? Making a real effort not to insult his wife, Pedro replied: No, for her first time, its not
too bad. Of course, that afternoon the entire family felt sick to their stomachs Esquivel, 1989: 50-51.
This patriarchal norm which i s rooted in women’s mind strongly affects
them. Even it becomes a competition between women to be recognized as a good cook. There is such a competition between Rosaura and Tita,
Rosaura’s refusal toward Tita’s offer shows that she considers Tita as her rival, as stated:
But whether she did it to impress her husband Pedro or to compete with Tita in her own territory-who can say?-there was one day when Rosaura
did attempt to cook. When Tita tried nicely to give her some advice, Rosaura became irritated and asked Tita to leave her alone in the kitchen
Esquivel, 1989: 50.
The other example of women’s obligation to be able to cook is Tita’s skill in preparing all of the food ingredients including the meat, as stated:
With a deep breath, she took hold of the first one and twisted its neck, as she had seen Nancha do so often, but she used too little force to kill the
poor quail … Esquivel, 1989: 49.
She even kills the quail herself. It shows that women really should have skills in kitchen. It is not only about their ability to produce delicious meals, but
also to prepare all the things needed themselves. The obvious example of women’s obligation in taking care of the
households is seen from Tita’s obligation to take care of her mother until her
death. Therefore, it is expected that women should be able to take care of the family needs mainly in the domestic areas.
Women’s roles told in this novel are taking care of the house-husband-children, and cooking which are same with one of patriarchal
value which demands women to have a sense of creativity and nurturance Lips, 1989: 3.
Mama Elena’s roles in this story are the other form of women as “Angel in the house”. Mama Elena is the angel in the house because she represses her true
feeling, and then she keeps holding and applying the patriarchal value toward herself and her daughters. Mama Elena also forces Tita to obey the family
tradition and prohibits her to be herself, just like the angel told the woman in Woolf’s theory.
Those are the patriarchal practices which are experienced by Tita, whether they directly or indirectly happen to her. The patriarchal norms are
strongly rooted in the society even in the women’s mind so that Tita and the other female characters have to fulfill the demands.
C. Tita’s Resistance against the Patriarchal Practices
