(70). Also, the mother asks Sergio to come look out the window at what she sees, but he sees nothing. When Sergio asks his mother what she sees, she replies, "Balls of fire. They're jumping around and chasing each other- (77). The son assumes that the mother is crazy, and continues to warn her about an unstable beam that she keeps leaning against. The beam is another example of symbolism the author tries to use to show how the mother is hurt. After several times of the family warning the mother to stay away from the beam, it breaks and in the process of the beam breaking a picture of the general on the wall breaks al!.
so. When the picture breaks, everyone takes it as nothing too serious but the reader can tell that the mother is upset by it. Later on you find out that there is a possibility that the mother had an affair with the general and that was truly the only time in her life that she had happiness. All these symbols that relate to the mother, I think reflect how at one point she was a loving person, but in the end lost it all. The mother was bitter for the rest of her life.
Throughout this play, the reader may get the idea that Matias the innkeeper is the crazy one of the story, but I feel that he was the sanest out of the whole family. Maybe this was because he had no attachment to the family and all he did was work for Mr. Garza. I think that the reason why the author made Matias act the way he did, was because it showed how the family was falling apart, and how they had different views on many topics. All of the symbols revolve around Matias, but in actuality all this shows is how the family is falling apart. The hotel is all that holds the family together. In the end when the hotel is lost, so is the family. .
In the novel Like Water for Chocolate, there is also a great deal of symbolism throughout the whole story. The symbolism within this story represents the imprisoned life of Tita imposed on her from her mother.
Figurative Language and Imagery: Page18- "A water fall of blond hair- " his finances shot down in flames- Page19- " like a limp black snake- Page20- "Square boy... " " like a sleepwalker." ... Chapter4: The start of "The Chocolate War" is now becoming apparent. ... Page23- "He watched the class like a hawk." ... Symbolism: The chocolates represent the book itself and the school. ...
