Life of Desire

Chocolat takes place during the time of Lent, a period in which Christians fast and free themselves of desire and pleasures. Leading the town in this holy time is the mayor, who enforces the word of God on the town in hopes to improve on the quality of his commmunity. One by one the townspeople slip through his grasp as they made their way to the shop of sin. For some characters in the movie, chocolate is a way of leaving a life of reclusiveness and emerging oneself into a life of desire and lust. For the character Josephine, chocolate was not only a way into a life of desire but also one of self interest. She began caring for herself with the aide of Vianne to start a new life cooking and preparing chocolate for others to feed on. Too many in the village, the shop represents the pleasures of the world, but in a time of Lent many are reluctant to give into temptation, yet the ones who do are viewed as happy and content with their decision. Even the one mostly opposed to chocolate and Vianne’s shop eventually gives into desire near the end of the movie. The mayor finds himself in the chocolaterie trying to remember anything from the previous night of self indulgence in nothing but, you guessed it, chocolate. Of all the people in the village, the mayor who has publicly made it clear to avoid the chocolaterie at all costs, has fallen to the desirability of chocolate which almost destines the rest of the townsfolk to follow. Another character who gives in to the life of desire is Vianne's landlord Armande. Living alone and rejected by her daughter, Armande befriends Vianne after tasting and indulging in her creations. Armande knows not only will she be rejected by the town for taking Vianne is as a friend and partaking in chocolate, but she will surely die if she continues her habit. Unknowingly to everyone else, Armande is diabetic yet still makes the desicion to participate in Vianne's activities. Armande has conciously made the desicion of chocolate over life and has chosen the life of desire for the remainder of the movie.