Bohemian Lights: Satire of Spain's Social Reality

Bohemian Lights and Reality and Social Policy

Bohemian Lights is a national political satire, touching upon society, religion, and the status of Spain in its era. It evokes the political and social environment of the time. The work reacts against the established power, and aligns with the behavior of Max Estrella. The anti-bourgeois attitude is embodied in the criticism of figures such as politicians, the Academy of Language, and Alfonso XIII. It alleges political corruption, as the characters understand corruption as a necessary evil associated with Spanish politics.

Historical and Social Context

Bohemian Lights shows a concrete historical and social picture in time and space. However, it does not limit the chronological location to the decade of 1910-1920. There are allusions to different events separated by time: the general strike of 1917, the Tragic Week in Barcelona in 1909, and the Russian Revolution of 1917. The action takes place in one unreal day that synthesizes all the events.

Social Criticism

Its social criticism is not directed against individuals, classes, or specific groups. It is a complaint ranging from the monarchy to the world of crime, encompassing administrative corruption, immorality, superstition, police brutality, political repression, journalism in service of power, and selfish traders. It also addresses the social struggle that Spain experienced around these dates and the coup of Primo de Rivera. The social reality is one of violence and cruelty, where human life is under constant scorn. Max himself jokes about the attacks against employers and the death of workers. Violence becomes sarcasm.

Social Conflict

Social conflict is important, highlighting the serious problems of the proletariat and its struggle against the bourgeoisie. Although there are also opposite cases where the carefree attitude intensifies others. For the bourgeois Valle, they are unrelated to the problems of the workers because they do not want to lose their order in society, while the workers struggle to survive in poor conditions. The play also ridicules Citizen Action, a right-wing organization that collaborated with the authorities in the repression of strikes and demonstrations.

A Monstrous Image

Bohemian Lights manages to transmit a monstrous image of Spanish reality. It describes a world of horror, which is overcome by laughter and mockery. The worst thing is that the deformation occurred historically and socially as described. The Spain that appears is just trying to survive amidst moral and economic misery.