Loss of Hope

By Rushad Heerjee

How does it feel to be oppressed and lose all hope? The House of Bernarda Alba written by Federico Lorca is a theatrical tragedy which portrays Bernarda as a harsh and cruel woman who believe in oppressing others as well as upholding ancient family traditions. Her domineering nature keeps her five daughters and three servants in check as she rules the household with an iron fist. Bernarda is an eccentric character as she not only acts rashly but also uses physical and verbal abuse to make herself look better than others. In the play The House of Bernarda Alba, Lorca, using Bernarda’s relationship with other characters highlights the central theme of oppression of women in Spanish society during the 1900’s.

Bernarda has repressed everyone in the household to the point that they are all afraid of her. From the start of the play the audience’s image of Bernarda is somewhat similar to that of a totalitarian dictator. Poncia and the maid are discussing her character and Poncia says “She could sit on your heart and watch you die for a whole year without talking that cold smile of her damn face” (1, 194). This line projects an image of relentless cruelty and shows Bernarda’s true character. Furthermore when we first see Bernarda, her first words are “Silence” (1, 199). This word shows Bernarda as an authoritarian who has total control of everything that goes on in the house. On the other hand, the main targets of Bernarda’s oppression are her daughters. Bernarda has repressed them to the extent that they are all afraid of her. In Act two when Amelia says “Oh! I thought Mother was coming” (2, 231) shows two things. First is the significance of the capital ‘M’. This represents the idea that they have been forced to respect their mother and that what she says goes. Moreover, the tone at which she says this shows the fear they have for their mother who in most modern societies are the comforting and approachable symbol. Another significant quote is when Bernarda says “A daughter who’s disobedient stops being a daughter and becomes an enemy” (3, 263) as it clearly showing Bernarda’s oppressive nature and hatred towards anything that would make her look bad in society. However we see her true character at the end of Act three when Adela commits suicide. When Bernarda finds Adela hanging from the ceiling, she feels no remorse. She is more concerned about what the neighbours will think as she tries to uphold her stature in society. Ironically, to achieve this, Bernarda tells her daughters that “She, the youngest daughter of Bernarda Alba, died a virgin” (3, 288). Bernarda is trying to cover up for her daughters irrational actions so as to maintain her rank in the village.

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The two major symbols in the House of Bernarda Alba are the colour black and the cane. After the death of her husband, Bernarda refuses to let go of the grip over her daughters. In her domineering way she makes sure religious and social rituals are followed. She imposes a dictatorial eight year mourning period for her five unmarried and unhappy daughters and makes them wear black for their father’s death (1, 198). By all wearing the same lifeless colour the women also lose their individuality. This is very important twist in the play since Bernarda does not want her girls to be noticed and refuses to let them show their true colours. She wants them to appear as nuns, not as eligible young women. It is also interesting to note that black is the colour representative of the fascist rule in Spain at that time. Not only was fascism the political situation but it was also alive and well in Bernarda’s home, with her as the ultimate dictator. From this, we can clearly see why Adela wears a green dress in Act 1. It shows her creativity and individuality as well as her desire to escape from her mother’s stranglehold. This is reiterated when she tries to give Bernarda a “round fan decorated with red and green flowers” (1, 204). The second symbol which shows oppression is Bernarda’s cane. The cane is the symbol of sovereignty and power over the household. She uses the cane for support as well as a weapon like in act one when she advances on Angustias with it and when she beats Martirio in act two “coming down and hitting her with her cane” (2, 248). A noteworthy moment in the play is when Adela snaps Bernarda’s cane in two as it signifies the end of Bernarda’s rule over Adela and the household, and due to this, everything spirals out of control. This is when Bernarda takes drastic actions by saying “The gun! Where is the gun” (3, 286). The gun is a more powerful symbol than the cane as the damage it causes is more severe. The use of the weapon indirectly causes Adela’s death as it is used to drive of Pepe. This represents the pure malevolence that Bernarda is consumed in.

The final aspect in the play that presents the central idea of cruelty is Bernarda’s relationship with Poncia. Poncia has worked for Bernarda for thirty years and is still treated like a servant and not a friend. She confides a lot in Poncia as she asks her to spy on neighbours and see what they are doing as Poncia says “Entire days peering through cracks, to spy on her neighbours and bring her gossip” (1, 195), but when Poncia starts speaking her mind, Bernarda will say something cruel and hateful to put her back in her place. When Poncia says “I thought we could be honest with each other?” (1, 212), Bernarda replies by saying “You are my servant and I pay you. Nothing more” (1, 212). Bernarda regards herself as the highest rank as she believes she is superior to everyone else. Secondly, we can see that Bernarda even oppresses her mother, Maria Josefa as she considers her “crazy”. She even goes to the extent of locking her up when the guests come to mourn at the funeral. Also at the end of act one she is furious at the maid for letting her out as she says “Why did you let her in” (1, 224). From this comment we can see that as a child Bernarda was also oppressed by her mother; probably being locked up in a house for 8 years when her father died; and is now following in her mother’s footsteps. Bernarda will do anything to uphold family traditions to keep a high status in the village.

In conclusion, the central theme of oppression in The House of Bernarda Alba is presented through Bernarda’s connection with other central characters in the play. This play is seen as the tragedy for rural Spanish women who will never have the opportunity to choose a husband as well as expressing the costs of repressing the freedom of others. As the play unfolds, we delve deeper and deeper into the house of Bernarda Alba starting off in a room near the entrance hall and ending up in the coral, which shows the gradual exposure of all the family secrets as well as the audiences broadening of just how twisted life in that era was. This play presents themes on the oppression of women and control over others that are also present in the modern world. Women are still treated as the inferior sex. Men usually get the advantage when applying for a job, while the common stereotype of the modern world is that women stay at home and look after the family despite their other capabilities. We also see people controlling other humans to make them do what they want. The common household servant, despite her choice to work, still cannot refuse a command given by her employer. This strongly relates to Bernarda as she oppresses her servants to the point that they hate her with a burning passion. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”

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