The verdict was later announced in the end of the movie where the Doctor was found guilty. The opening of the harbor and the verdict served as a reflection of the changing times. Although battles ultimately took a backseat to the story of the passionate love shared by Mr. Nacib and Gabriela, Ilheus's social circumstance managed to affect the course their love was to take.A love which was very similar to the one shared by Pedro and Tita in "Like Water for Chocolate" .
The social pressures faced by women post wedding under traditional Ilheus culture were very oppressive. The sentiments shared by women in those times were best described in the novel when Malvina swears that "The husbands were absolute masters and the wives were reduced to passive obedience. Worse then being a nun. She swore to herself, that she would never let herself be trapped" (Amado 299). Malvina's defiance of societal codes leads her to get beaten and later leads her to exile. While these social laws were difficult on most women, it didn't seem to bother Gabriela because she was oblivious to them. Her childish attitude which was really accentuated in the film allowed her to lead the life she wished to lead. These pressures became clear to her only when she decided to marry Mr. Nacib. Marriage for women subsequently meant the forfeiting of their already limited rights. Marrying into high society thrust Tita into a new world where conformity meant survival. She couldn't understand why people would choose to go to lectures rather then circus's which were manifestly more fun. She loved being Mr. Nacib's cook and mistress but resented being his wife. .
The role of social pressure in "Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon" in shaping the path Gabriela's and Mr.Nacibs relationship would take was very similar to the role Mama Elena played in obstructing the course Tita's and Pedro's love was to take. Mama Elena and social pressures both served as obstacles for the respective relationships in their quest to realize love under the circumstances which they elected.