The idea of a life journey initiates a potentially controversial discussion, particularly when concepts of control, destiny, and free will are raised. Both Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen and Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate explore the reasons and motivations for embarking on a journey, and indeed the inevitability of one. The protagonists have been crafted as strong, independently minded female characters who, as representations of reality, are in control of their lives and destinies as any individual. Consequently, it is interesting to examine the extent to which life journeys are experienced by Mikage and Tita, Yoshimoto and Esquivel’s respective protagonists. By understanding the motivations of the characters, readers can potentially gain insight into their own lives, their own world, and be inspired to acquire the tools to start out on a new life journey for themselves.
In the Kitchen, Mikage is introduced as an isolated and lonely young girl. The kitchen is used to emphasize her loneliness, with Mikage telling us that the place I like best is the kitchen, it’s just a little nicer than being alone” (Yoshimoto, 3). Her family steadily decreased over the years, which led her to seek refuge in the kitchen, sleeping beside the refrigerator where the hum kept her from thinking of her loneliness (Yoshimoto, 4). Yuichi’s visit to her house was a new beginning for Mikage with a new family. Her initial visit to his house demonstrated the warmth and instant connection she had with Yuichi and his mother Eriko. She fell in love with Yuichi’s kitchen at first sight, serving as a metaphor for the relationship she creates with him. The security she gains from the loving family environment is apparently transient, as Mikage’s isolation and loneliness are revisited after Eriko’s death. She embarks on a life journey to save Yuichi as he once saved her. The confidence and inner-security she has gained from her experiences serve to change and broaden the possibilities for the potential journeys she can take.
Likewise, Esquivel provides Tita with a strong personality that leads her on a journey of self-discovery. Like Mikage, Tita finds security in the kitchen, notably the room where she was born. She doesn’t require typical human interactions as she established a communication [with food] that went far beyond words” (Esquivel, 31). Mama Elena imposes strict rules on her youngest daughter, forbidding her from marrying. The cruelty of this situation leads to Tita’s bid for freedom from such constricting moral and social codes. When Roberto dies, Tita displays a previously unseen forceful side to her character when she yells out to Mama Elena, “you killed Roberto” (Esquivel, 99). This illustrates Tita’s anger and frustration at losing a child she had treated as her own. More importantly, she was torn from Pedro, and there would now be no reason for the two to interact. Tita is arguably forced to take a journey to escape the strict moral ideals Mama Elena forced her to live by.
Both protagonists take journeys prompted by loss and involve emotional support from a second character. In Tita’s journey, John Brown supports her in discovering herself, while Mikage supports Yuichi after Eriko’s death. Mikage’s metaphorical life journey leads her to self-discovery, as she states, We believe we choose our path from among the many alternatives…we make the choice unconsciously” (Yoshimoto, 97). This implies that everything is predetermined, and although we may encounter obstacles, we will ultimately reach a predetermined destination. Tita and Mikage must take journeys to heal themselves, and both reach a destination predetermined by the authors that allows them to reach a place of freedom. Mikage’s spirits lift as Yuichi smiles, indicating her journey is nearing completion. Meanwhile, Tita returns to her senses, implying her journey was temporary but necessary to resurrect her world.
When Mikage travels from Izu to Isehara, it is evident that Yuichi and Mikage’s relationship is far beyond friendship. This is highlighted by the comparison, ordering me around like a new bride.” Furthermore, the journey began when Mikage spied a pink telephone (Yoshimoto, 89). The color pink is typically associated with love and romance, further illustrating the status of their relationship. Mikage found it a relief to hear Yuichi’s voice when speaking on the phone, but his words seemed so far away (Yoshimoto, 91). Yuichi being both physically and mentally distant from Mikage led her to make the spontaneous decision to pursue her love by taking a journey. As she arrived in Isehara, the doors were securely locked, as was the emergency exit (Yoshimoto, 95), illustrating to the reader that Mikage has traveled far and is being forced to repeatedly question her actions. Indeed, Mikage asks herself, “What am I doing all the way out here?” (Yoshimoto, 93). When she finally arrives at Yuichi’s inn, she is reminded, “Our dream conversation, isn’t it like this?” (Yoshimoto, 98). At this point, Mikage states, “I lost all sense of reality” (Yoshimoto, 98). The worlds of dreaming and reality have been blended together, leading the reader to believe that Yuichi and Mikage are indeed fated to be with each other.
It is interesting to observe that while Mikage knew she had to make the literal journey, Tita needed guidance before understanding the oppression she experienced under Mama Elena. Mama Elena’s beliefs had such an influence that Tita’s bold character was destroyed and needed to be revived. Tita had “refused to leave the dovecote,” prompting Mama Elena to “send for Dr. Brown to take her to a mental asylum” (Esquivel, 100). Brown found Tita “naked, her nose broken, and her whole body covered in pigeon droppings” (Esquivel, 100), which repulses the reader while illustrating Brown’s determination to help her be free. Tita’s escape from her past reality made her arrival at Brown’s “like a dream” (Esquivel, 108), similar to how Mikage’s journey brought her dream to reality. Esquivel allows Tita to feel the power of liberty and compares Tita’s hands to birds that exemplify her freedom. Tita discovers that “they [her hands] could turn into birds and fly into the air” (Esquivel, 109), whereas before, “what she had to do with her hands was strictly determined” (Esquivel, 109) under Mama Elena’s control. After settling in with Brown, Tita decides “to never go back to the ranch again” (Esquivel, 118), a decision that is ultimately reversed but is still important in highlighting her development. Like Mikage, Tita gains feelings of security from her relationship with Brown.
However, the journeys have distinct differences. Mikage takes a journey unconsciously, while Tita is always fully aware of her development and change. Mikage’s destiny is already written for her, and the reader is always aware of the final outcome. It is practically impossible for the reader to predict the result of Tita’s journey as her character develops significantly from the start of the novel. The reader is left somewhat confused in the final chapters as to whether Tita decides to be with Brown.
Pedro. Furthermore, their life journeys can be seen as different because of the manner in which they behave toward the men who help them. In Like Water for Chocolate, it could be assumed that Tita fell back in love with Pedro once she had returned to her senses, despite Brown having helped her heal. When looking at Mikage’s journey, however, a more genuine relationship can be seen because she takes a journey to help Yuichi when he is unable to overcome Eriko’s death. Tita makes use of Brown to regain her lost love, while Mikage needs no intermediary to achieve her goals.
Esquivel and Yoshimoto present the concept of inevitable journeys taken within our lives – both literal and metaphorical – as well as the different motivations and prompts for these journeys. Despite their female protagonists being described as strong and motivated individuals, both Tita and Mikage are subject to outside influences. The implications of this are important: if a strong character still requires and experiences input from external forces, then the suggestion is that nobody can escape their destiny. Both authors choose to end their novels on a positive note, with the dream world of the characters becoming a reality. They offer the reader a comforting and reassuring finale. In a world full of increasing political unrest and uncertainty, the knowledge that we are ultimately unable to influence our destiny is perhaps more reassuring than frightening, especially when we are told that dreams can indeed come true.
