The antagonist Mama Elena in the novel Like Water for Chocolate, written by Laura Esquivel, portrays, throughout the novel, an authoritarian woman. Her authoritarian character is the reason why Mama Elena makes the life of Tita, her youngest daughter and protagonist of the novel, impossible. Mama Elena's setbacks in her life, such as having to take over the ranch alone after her husband's death, built her into a strict woman: "Completely ignoring Tita, Mama Elena, very angry, left the kitchen and for the next week, she didn’t say a single word to him” (12). It imposes severe punishments for disobedience. Tita, like her sisters and the people who work there, know the rules established by Maman Elena and are afraid of breaking them. Mom Elena learns to intimidate, because being a strict woman, she needs just one look that makes you shiver. Intimidation has become one of his best weapons. For Mama Elena, intimidation always seemed to work, even with a captain of the Mexican Revolution, who was not immune to Mama Elena's best weaponry: "It was really difficult to meet Mama Elena's men....