First Draft Midterm Essay

Vanessa Mendoza

English 2400/Section O552

First Draft Midterm Essay

After reading “Like Water for Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel published in 1989 and watching the film directed by Alfonoso Arau released in 1993 we can compare them according to Linda Cahir’s definition of translation. The book “Like Water for Chocolate” is a love story between two characters: Tita and Pedro whom despite their love are not able to marry. According to Linda Cahir, literature to film translations can be literal, traditional, or radical. What type of translation would the book and the film fall under? 

The plot of the film version “Like Water for Chocolate” is identical to Laura Esquivel’s text version besides some minor details. The focal point remains on Tita and Pedro in the film just like in the book through the use of shots and camera movement. In addition, the use of narration in both the film and the book makes the translation almost identical. But there are missing scenes that are in the book but not present in the film. For these reasons, the translation of the book to the film is traditional. The overall plot and setting of the book is maintained throughout the book besides some minor details. The translation is not literal because the details from the book are not maintained as closely as possible being that there are missing scenes. It is not a radical translation either since the plot is not reshaped to an extreme. 

In order to prove that the translation between the book and the film is traditional  I will explore the sound that is present in the film. Second, I will compare the scene where Tita makes the quail dinner with the rose Pedro gives her. Third, I will analyze when Dr.John asks for Tita’s hand in marriage.

To start off I will be analyzing the use of sound in the film compared to book. In the book, there is no mention of music. The only thing that the reader really hears is the narrator of the story and the dialogue that takes place between the characters. With the addition of the dialogue between the characters in the film instead of limiting itself to the narration, the viewer gets more insight of the story and characters just like in the book version. Similarly in the film we get to hear the narrator telling the story. In the book, we also get to know a lot about the recipes that are cooked, ingredients, steps, etc. Whereas, in the film we don’t really find out much about them. We do get to see some of the recipes but not as much as the ones mentioned in the book. Whereas, the recipes seem to be a big part of the book and not as much in the film, the plot is not changed and the reader/viewer is still able to concentrate on the main focus: the love story. 

Many of the scenes in the film are similar to those in the book but with some differences. One example is the quail dinner. In the book, the reader is told that Tita gets a rose from Pedro and contrary to Mama Elena’s order to throw it out she keeps it and makes dinner using it. While eating, the one who seems to be affected by this dinner is Tita’s sister Gertrudis. The film is able to capture this scene almost precisely besides the fact that when everyone is eating the dinner Tita cooked, the film shows shots of everyone being affected by the dinner, not just Gertrudis. Everyone in the table including Mama Elena seems to start feeling a bit weird. This is a detail that differs from the book but has no real effect on the story, therefore making it a traditional translation.

In the book, we read about the scene where Dr.John asks for Tita’s hand in marriage. In the film, we briefly see this scene but it is able to capture the essence of the text. The lighting of the room is dark which correlates with the mood of the scene. Tita agrees to marry John but she never says she loves him, even when she kissed John previously she said it wasn’t the same as kissing Pedro. The somber lighting helps portray the mood of the scene where there is a lot of mixed emotions on Tita’s end. In this scene, the camera also focuses on Tita when she gets the ring and stares at it keeping her as the focal point. This lighting also helps to add to the tension and doubt that is felt during this scene.

All in all, the essence of the text version “Like Water for Chocolate”, is maintained throughout the film. There are missing details in the film but this does not interfere with the overall plot of the story. The narration, the lighting, the camera movement all contribute to recreating the scenes from the book as closely as possible focusing on the love story.