Magic Realism Overcoming Cultural Ideology

HOW DOES MAGIC REALISM HELP THE FEMALE CHARACTERS OVERCOME THE LATIN CULTURE'S PRIMITIVE IDEOLOGY IN THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS AND LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE?

Isabelle Allende and Laura Esquivel both grew up in the Latin American culture during the same period of time. In the 1940s and 1950s, Latin culture was primitive in terms of their treatment of women – their ideology that women should stay at home and become good housekeepers, mothers and wives. Women within the Latin culture were not allowed freedom of choice or decision making or independence. This ideology is known as Rousseauism, which is "the return to or glorification of a simpler and more primitive way of life" developed by the French philosopher, Jean Jacques Rousseau.

Allende' and Esquivel's culture influenced the events that took place in their works – the social values in the social setting, the perception of women in the society, the family values, the military and political events etc. The female characters struggle against the traditional bonds that society places around them and with the help of the supernatural magic occurring, they gain the freedom they seek. The heavy presence of the primitive ideology confines the women to the tedious sphere of domestic and marital life.

Education for most of the women in both the novels is just to provide the only knowledge they would need to become good housewives and guests. Rosaura, in Like Water for Chocolate, only sends her daughter to school in the hope that she would have things to talk about and entertain their guests.

Education, for (most of) the women in both novels, sets as a goal to provide only the knowledge they will need to become good wives and housekeepers. Indeed, it is only this argument that convinces Rosaura to send her daughter to school, for in her view, the only acceptable reason to allow education to her daughter is to make her more entertaining to the guests, and let her fill her own old age with the "cream" of society :"…besides dancing, Esperanza (will) need to be able to talk about interesting subjects…" (Esquivel 239) .Also Tita, despite her attending school, seems to know nothing outside the kitchen and domestic life. In "The House of Spirits", Clara and Blanca, in spite of their (relative) aristocratic origins and the economic ability of the parents to afford education, do not attend school but are instead educated at home, emphasizing the value that their society places on domestic education vs. general education for women.