Dominant Themes in Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba

Federico García Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba is rich with profound themes that resonate throughout the play. This analysis delves into the core issues presented, from social critique to the intricate use of poetic language.

Hatred and Envy

The play vividly demonstrates instances of hatred and envy, manifesting in various forms: through insults, insinuations, and both veiled and direct expressions. Women in this wild and inhospitable environment yearn for love and freedom, but their inability to achieve it leads to bitter clashes among the daughters.

Social Injustice

Social injustice dominates the first act, where Lorca powerfully complains about societal inequality. The play exposes class consciousness, pride, and the cruelty inherent in social relations. It presents a well-defined hierarchy, with economic disparity evident from early scenes, profoundly affecting the daughters' drama. Pepe el Romano's choice to be swayed by his fortune highlights this. Each character demeans those below them, and Bernarda, consumed by greed, shows no generosity.

Marginalization of Women

Lorca confronts two contrasting models of female existence:

• The morally relaxed women (like Paca la Roseta, a prostitute among the harvesters) who live with apparent freedom, disregarding societal norms. Despite their perceived liberty, they are morally and physically condemned by the community.
• Another model is based on decency. Female behavior, conditioned by honor and apparent decency, signifies submission to conventional social norms that discriminate against women for the benefit of men.

The Theme of Honor

Honor is intrinsically linked to the theme of appearances and connected to the concept of love. Bernarda is driven by rigid conventional principles that demand immaculate public behavior, a clean and spotless social image, or honor.

The Poetic Plane and Language

The House of Bernarda Alba masterfully combines reality and poetry. The characters, the dramatic situation, and the symbolic space are all viewed through a poetic dimension; the poetry of reality dominates. The play's greatest merit lies in its poetic language, seamlessly integrated into the characters' speech, making it seem remarkably real and spontaneous.

It is especially in the third act that poetic elements are introduced, such as the evocative starry night. As the play progresses, it increasingly loses realism in favor of the poetic. The heightened violence is often created through language itself. Sounds from outside contrast sharply with the oppressive silence of the interior.

Indefinite expressions are common, such as “what happened,” “what has to happen,” or “a very big thing.” Bernarda's language, however, prevents genuine communication, functioning primarily through orders and commands. Her speech serves a representative function, with words often acting as authoritative pronouncements or final citations.

The characters' speech features colloquial language alongside sophisticated literary figures, including: comparisons, imagery, metaphors, hyperbole, and semantic parallels.