Lorca uses Leonardos indifferent behavior as a husband to highlight the limitations of society in Blood Wedding.

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Leonardo’s indifferent behavior as a husband to highlight the limitations of society in Lorca’s play “Blood Wedding”.

In order to portray the indifferent attitude of Leonardo as a husband, realistically, Lorca gives us an insight into the Andalusian society that has a rigid and stern mindset on the social and cultural issues. Leonardo is shown as a man withering in the fabric of this society, and it is not strange that this society keeps the knot of every character very tightly. Stuck up in the gossamer of the orthodox and intolerant society, he becomes indifferent to all around him. Lorca develops Leonardo’s indifferent behavior at large by using the character names, settings and symbols.

In order to distinguish the character of Leonardo, and to elucidate the reasons that are responsible for his immoral and unethical action, Lorca begins the story by giving a name to his character. The characters are named simply the mother, the father, the bridegroom, the wife etc. Lorca deprives them of any individualistic roles in the society. Through this unique literary style, he wants to portray the conviction of this society wherein generic names are not important; what is more important is the mold in which the Andalusian characters are cast. The characters have to abide by the Spanish canons lest they cease to exist in the eyes of the rigid society.  This dramatic device used by Lorca shows that all the other characters other than Leonardo’s are the sum total of this society. They can never dare to challenge the prevailing dogmas and the rudiments against which Leonardo, the lion rebels. Lorca’s portrayal of the character of Leonardo makes us feel that he is the only human alive in this dehumanized society. Lorca’s art of characterization shows that Leonardo is an important individual who has formed the society and not the other way round.

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In order to further understand the apathetic behavior of Leonardo’s, Lorca makes the reader ponder over the role of the Catholic Church in matters that are highly personal. Lorca uses settings of a small culture, set in Spanish consciousness, wherein the society does not tolerate anyone nonconforming to its dictates. The Catholic Church does not allow divorce, and Leonardo seems to be stuck up in a wedding from which he has no escape. He has to sit and wait idly for his beloved to marry someone else. The church does not allow remarriage even. The Mother and the Father ...

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