Themes in ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’: Social Class, Women, Power
Main Themes of the Work
Social Classes: Lorca presents a town with clearly differentiated social classes. Everyone knows their place and is expected to accept it. The relationship between Poncia and Bernarda, for example, shows that despite having grown up together, a patron and a servant cannot be true friends. They occupy different social strata and cannot be treated as equals. Bernarda most clearly conveys the importance of social class, speaking with contempt of those she considers beneath her, with phrases like, “The poor are like animals; it seems they were made of other substances,” which makes her perspective of superiority clear. However, one could argue that Poncia’s moral values are higher than Bernarda’s; she has not been corrupted by money or power and instead fulfills a role of moral conscience.
Role of Women: The women of the house speak on several occasions about the “way of making women.” Adela is the rebel who does not accept the phallocentric order that dictates what women and men must do, and she is punished in the end. Bernarda, paradoxically, plays a strong woman. She brings order to the house, orders the servants, and watches over her daughters, ensuring they behave correctly. Women are oppressed by the power of men, and although there are no men in the play (just one who is never seen), they are affected by their influence. For example, Bernarda’s second husband died several years ago, and she still forces her daughters to mourn with her for eight years. They need to keep their chastity/purity for the honor of the family. At the end, Bernarda proclaims her daughter’s virginity to maintain a good reputation.
Oppressive Society: In the village, all the women engage in constant chatter and gossip, which makes everyone act hypocritically because they are under so much pressure. Murmurs are distorted with each person who repeats them, creating an atmosphere of continuing tension. Bernarda and her daughters are subjected to criticism and rumors at all times during the play.
Tradition: Tradition is broken in several places. The first is Bernarda’s mourning; she wants her daughters to keep an exaggerated eight-year mourning period. All her daughters resign themselves to this except Adela, who thinks it is unfair that the best years of their lives have to be spent stuck at home. Thus, Adela goes against the rules and makes it clear that she is not going to follow this mourning. Arranged marriages also appear: Angustias is going to marry Pepe el Romano. In the town that Lorca describes, arranged marriage was typical, and most women with money married the best man. Pepe el Romano wants to marry Angustias because she has a lot of money from her father. Related to this issue is decency: Bernarda has this desire to appear proper. In addition, comments on the lives of external characters and references to Poncia’s biography make it clear that this is one of the central themes of the work. Finally, we find the conservative moral: the obsession with virginity, religion, false appearances, and what people say are the issues surrounding Bernarda and her daughters.
Relations of Power: Bernarda is a despotic and cruel character. She represses her feelings and acts in an authoritarian manner. One of the symbols Lorca uses to express Bernarda’s power is her staff. When she realizes that Adela has had sex with a man, there is a change of power (“false ending”) before the climax of the work.
The Desire for Freedom: It is expressed by the desire for love and passion. Without passion and freedom, the characters suffer. All the sisters feel a huge desire to leave the house, but all are resigned to their fate, except for Adela, who will try, through indirect means, to go against her mother’s wishes.
Authoritarianism: Bernarda is a despotic and cruel character. Bernarda acts without feelings and in a radical way in most matters during the work. One of the symbols Lorca uses to express Bernarda’s power is her staff.