Literature Differences

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Andres Contreras

Per. 2

                 Literature Differences

        From hard working fathers to bad selfish mothers, “Those Winter Sundays” and Like Water For chocolate feature two different characters. In “those Winter Sundays”, Robert Hayden’s brilliant word choice embraces the father’s character as a hardworking man providing for his family. On the other hand, Laura Esquivel’s word choice in Like Water For Chocolate portrays Mama Elena as a selfish malevolent character who has never learned the true meaning of family. In “Those Winter Sundays” and Like Water For Chocolate various examples of diction used by both Hayden and Esquivel, lead the reader to conclude that the father and Mama Elena differ from one another.

        To begin, the word choice, used by both authors, makes it evident that the father lives a harsher lifestyle compared to that of Mama Elena’s. By the descriptive words spoken by his son to describe his father, one can conclude that he is a hard labor worker. “Sundays too my father got up early…then with his cracked hands that ached from labor in weekday…” (Hayden 1-4). The word “ached” paints a clear picture in the reader’s mind and sets clear imagery of how the father’s hands felt and how hard the father’s life really is. Doing labor is no easy job, yet some people have no choice since they must take care of their family financially. Those people are known to originate from harsh environments. In Like Water For Chocolate, Mama Elena is introduced to the reader quite in a different way. Mama Elena does not have such a hard time dealing with life and all of that is undisputedly evident throughout the story. “Nacha offered to take charge of feeding Tita...Mama Elena accepted since she had the enormous responsibility of running the ranch” (Esquivel 6). In this quote, Esquivel makes it very clear that Mama Elena is not in need as much as father is, by the resources provided to her through the story. Mama Elena has the easy way; she doesn’t have it as bad as father did in “Those Winter Sundays”. Overall when it comes to comparing both father and Mama, it is very evident that the father is more vulnerable then Mama Elena.

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        In addition, the examples of diction throughout story, makes it clear to the reader that Mama Elena’s personality is bad compared to the father’s. The father is known as a hard worker, based on the description and reactions given by his son, therefore he must be stressed often. “…I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house” (Hayden 8-9). The son is letting the reader known about his fears in regards some angers in the house, perhaps his father’s. Hayden’s word choice such as “chronic angers” lets the reader know about the father’s continuous angers, which were ...

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