The Theme of Oppression and Repression by Tyrannical Bernarda - Essay Example

It is widely accepted that Federico Garcia Lorca’s last play “the House of Bernerda Alba” along with the trilogy of “Blood Wedding” and “Yerma” is “the most accomplished and mature efforts of the finest Spanish Playwright of the twentieth century”.1 Obviously though the play as well as Lorca’s other literary works is not overtly political, it is remembered with his political beliefs, his political concerns and his political execution in the year 1930 the play was written. Most probably the triumph of the play lies in the fact that even if Lorca’s disinterestedness in his contemporary Spanish politics, the factual depiction of the life of the Common Spanish people in the play seems to incur the wrath of the fascists Government. In the play, “the House of Bernerda Alba” Lorca never transgresses the demarcation of the true role of a literary artist. Necessarily it means that he depicts life of the Common Spanish people with the realistic tone without caring whether his play tends to draw the risk of life upon him. In an article David Richard Jones and Susan Jones claims “The poet himself was decidedly antifascist, with a viewpoint that was drifting leftward and writings that showed an increasing focus on social issues.”2 Lorca himself hates politics and often opines on politics as “I am on the side of the poor."3 When Spain was drawn closer to civil war, he says, "I will never be political. I am a revolutionary because there are no true poets that are not revolutionaries. Don't you agree? But political, I will never, never be!"4. But the irony is that a true depiction of Spanish life in his play is bound to relate to its political concerns. Political Belief of Lorca and his Execution How Federico Garcia Lorca’s “the House of Bernerda Alba” relates to the political life of Spain and his political beliefs has a lot to do with his literary career and his execution in 1936. It is remarkable that though Lorca was executed in the year, “the House of Bernerda Alba” was published; it cannot be assumed that he was executed only because of this drama only. In an article Paul Stuart says: Lorca was a homosexual. Lorca was also attacked for his homosexuality. In his plays and poetry he increasingly drew the conclusion that problems of sexuality could only be resolved through the liberation of society from poverty and cultural and religious narrow-mindedness.5 It is also said that he is considered to be the most critically celebrated Spanish poet of the 20 century. Lorca’s literary career starts as a poet and his reputation is secured as a poet when “Libra de Poemas” was published 1920. Another famous poetry book, “Primer Romancero Gitano” was published in 1928. But as a dramatist he achieved recognition, when the first two books, “Bodas de Sangre” or “Blood Wedding” and “Yerma”, of his “earth trilogy” or “rural trilogy” were published in the years 1933 and 1934 during his brief stay in Cuba and the United States. He was arrested by the nationalist supporters of General Francisco Franco and was put to death without any trial. It is often claimed that Lorca’s works, even if not having the political concern, has the leftist leanings and incurs the wrath of the Black Squadron. Some claim that the truth behind his killing is that he was a homosexual. Whether it is his political beliefs and concern or his homosexuality that brings him execution, it is true that he is remarkably reticent about the politics of his country and he keeps himself aloof from the politics, as far as it was possible for him. In this regard David and Susan comments about his killing, Why was García Lorca executed? No one is completely certain. However, his family was known locally as sympathizers and supporters of the leftist Popular Front and as friends with the liberal Fernando de los Ríos.6 Versatility of Themes of the Play and the Theme of Repression The play “the House of Bernerda Alba” can be interpreted on versatile points of view. Lorca himself sees the play along with the trilogy of “Blood Wedding” and “Yerma” as the tragic life of Spanish Women. But the play has a universal appeal rather than its national implications. All of these three plays of the trilogy deal various aspects of Spanish women: Blood Wedding with the nuptial tragedy, the Yerma with the tragedy of barren women and “the House of Bernerda Alba” can be interpreted with the tragedy of the freedom of virginity. Indeed the play is a vivid depiction of the distorted socio-cultural background of Spain which seems to impose restrictions and control upon the freedom of an individual to choose a life partner. In the context of the play the repression takes place in the life of a Spanish virgin who is never allowed the opportunity to choose and have a husband. Necessarily the play deals with the price of the repression of one’s freedom. On the surface level though the play, “the House of Bernarda Alba” deals with the distortion of the ideology of a mother, ironically it turns to be the oppression of the guardians in any form in the society or in the state. It revolves around the story of a woman of 60 and her five daughters: Angustias (39 years old), Magdalena (30), Amelia (27), Martirio, (24), and Adela (20) who intensively pants for the air of freedom under the choking grip of their mother. To some extent the play is the reflection of the traditions and customs of the Spanish rural life but to a greater extent the play is the story of repression and the revolt of the humanly urges of love and passion against the repression. Bernerda the dominating woman is ample enough to personify the cruel tyranny of the Franco regime. Her choking dominance fairly insinuates the tyrannical nature of the fascist Spain. Indeed the play seems to convey the artistic view of the repression of Franco’s regime. The play begins with the death of the second husband of Bernerda Alba who has a wealthy daughter, Angustias, from her first husband and four other daughters from the second husband. She appears to be a dominating woman who is ignorant and more prone to overlook the demand and desires of a human being. She imposes a stifling mourning period in her house that gradually takes the play to the climax of the sexual tension. During this mourning period she exercise an excessive degree of control and prohibition that keeps the daughters from any type of sexual relationship with any male. While Lorca’s play tends to depict the psycho-emotional crisis of a rural family of Spain, it also portrays the socioeconomic condition of Spanish women. Significantly wealth of Angustias comes into conflict with her insolvent step sisters. Her wealth attracts a young suitor, Pepe el Romano. She receives the permission to marry even if being the eldest and the sickliest of the five sisters. But the passion and jealousy grow among the other four daughters of Bernerda Alba. Through the course of the play the youngest daughter Adela appears to develop an illegitimate affair with the suitor of Angustias. The relationship between Adela and Pepe el Romano may be judged illegal on the basis of the cultural values and customs of Spanish society but the question arises whether this relationship is really to be considered illicit as it is based on the law of nature. Indeed it is the restriction stifling grip of a mother who does never pay heed to the call of nature. She is a mother who only values her family reputations and the social customs. She never cares to spend few moments thinking over the fact whether she is doing right or wrong and consequently she does not hesitate to kill the suitor Pepe el Romano. Through the course of the development of the play it is revealed that Martirio is also in love with Pepe. The fact is that the girls pant for breath of freedom under the choking grip of Bernerda Alba. This freedom means the freedom of choice. This longing for freedom of choice is revealed through longing for love with Pepe el Romano. The story reaches its climax when Bernada Alba chases Pepe el Romano with a gun to kill him. A gunshot insinuates that Bernerda has killed the suitor. Adela also hangs herself and commits suicide. Repression of Bernerda: Matching Parable of Franco Regime The closing lines of the play significantly play a role in carrying out the theme of the play. It shows that Bernerda Alba makes all the arrangement to flash out that Adela was virgin when she died. This episode reveals that she is preoccupied with the reputation of the family. The theme of conflict between excessive control and desire to escape the control prevails throughout the whole play. The character of Bernerda is outlined through her repressive effort to control her daughters in regard to their sexual relationship. She is a widow of 60 who is preoccupied with her concern for honor and tradition of her society. Her society delineates the role of women and she sticks to it at any cost. Her blindness lies in the fact that she is too proud to view the truth of life. She deliberately ignores the impulsion and needs of life. But she is not in the least hesitation. Consequently almost all of her daughters become rebellious against her repression. Even though Angustias is the sickliest of the five sisters and though she is well aware of the fact that Pepe el romano is in love with her money and wealth, she continues her relationship with him. As Magdalena comments, If he were coming because of Angustias' looks, for Angustias as a woman, I'd be glad too, but he's coming for her money. Even though Angustias is our sister, we're her family here, and we know she's old and sickly.7 The Theme of Repression and Longing for Freedom At the same time it is also evident that her oncoming marriage will make her free from her oppressive mother. So this relationship clearly indicates that free of her Bernerda’s oppression. The two middle sisters Magdalena and Amelia seem not to play any significant role in regard to the theme of repression. But they are upheld with some peculiar characteristics that can be considered as the consequence of the repression of the elderly dominating woman. Magdalena has been presented as the deep mourner of her father and cries every now and then. If judged with a deep analytical point of view it appears that she takes her father as a symbol of freedom and always mourns for her freedom. As to Amelia she has an abnormal tendency to sleep all day long. This abnormal habit of Amelia indicates that she is escapist in nature, though she seems to be submissive to Bernerda Alba’s desire and she seeks her escape in her sleep. The characters of Martirio and Adela play the major role to make out the theme of repression and desire for freedom within the play. Martirio is found to be in love with Pepe el Romano and her love is revealed by Adela. As her name suggests, she can be viewed as one of the victim of her mother’s repressive character. She had a relationship previously with another man. But it failed because of the Bernerda’s destructive intervention and has had a deep feeling of inferiority that is engendered with her negative experiences with man. Finally it is the character of Adela that faces the most adverse impact consequence of the repression. She loves deeply with Pepe el Romano and carries a secrete relationship with him. She defies her mother and tries to continue the relationship with Pepe. In the play she is the one and only character who stands directly against the repression of Bernerda Alba and freely admits her relationship. Finally she commits suicide at the death of her lover. Often the audience is to be confronted with the question whether Lorca’s play “the House of Bernerda Alba” is the matching parable of the Franca regime. An in-depth analysis of the themes of the play is bound to convince one that the play does not reflect the Franco regime fully; rather it upholds the regime to a crucial extent that incurs the wrath of the regime. But meanwhile another question appears to confront the audience of the play whether the family that Lorca depicts in his play is typical of the common family of Spanish society. Any stable social structure is bound to defy the family of Bernerda within its structure, as it fails to bring the peace and harmony expected by its members. At this point of argument the play is to be accepted as the depiction of an unwanted case that necessarily indicates to the Franco regime. Lorca’s eloquence of portrayal of human characters within the depiction of a Spanish society in seems to convince the audience about its other meanings or themes: tragedy, oppression of women, preoccupation with tradition, class prejudice, obsession with reputation, Authoritarianism and the corruption of beauty. Consequently this rebellion and the desire to transgress the social demarcation of right and wrong is not to be viewed only within the context of the family, it can be viewed from a broader context of the Spanish society and the state. In a review it is being said: The House of Bernarda Alba can be seen as a parable of fascist oppression, and in fact, the 1936 work was banned in Spain until 1975. Lorca is really holding up a mirror to society, and he's not writing about urban society. The conclusion of this play can address issues of fascism, which was taking over in Spain.8 Political Relation of the Play and Lorca’s Assassination To trace the fact how Lorca’s play “The House of Bernerda Alba” relates to his political beliefs and his assassination by the Franco’s Regime is almost difficult, as Lorca has no political affiliation within the play. But it is evident that Lorca was an advocate of liberty. It is his longings for liberty and his rebellion against tyranny that makes his coincidentally uphold a theme against the soul of the Authoritarian Government of Franco. “In his plays and poetry he increasingly drew the conclusion that problems of sexuality could only be resolved through the liberation of society from poverty and cultural and religious narrow-mindedness”.9 An analysis of the history of Spanish Civil War will establish the coincidence of Lorca’s play as a matching parable of the regime. The Spanish Civil War begins on July 16, 1936, when Franco leads a military cue in order to overthrow the Popular Front Government of Manuel Azana. Lorca was killed by Franco’s nationalists in the early morning of August 19, 1936. But Lorca finishes his first draft of the play “The House of Bernerda Alba” only two months before his execution and told in an interview with a journalist: I still consider myself a true novice, and I'm still learning my profession ... One has to ascend one step at a time ... [One shouldn't] demand of my nature, my spiritual and intellectual development, something that no author can give until much later ... My work has just begun.10 Consequently it appears that Lorca finishes his writing at the end of June of 1936, a month that precedes the commencement of the Spanish Civil War. So Lorca’s play “the House of Bernerda Alba” intentionally refers to Franco’s Regime. Indeed if the play refers to any repressive regime, it does universally. Bernerda’s house is the universal depiction of the any type stifling control and restriction. Eventually the play coincidentally appears to be a matching parable of the Franco’s regime. How the play resembles the regime is as following: In the first place the theme of Oppression and Repression sets the prime tone of the play. Once one finishes reading the play, “the House of Bernerda Alba” turns to be the house of oppression and repression. It appears to be the house of repression that is dominated and reined by tyrannical Bernerda who holds the Francoist view that the best place for a woman is her house. She manages to maintain an environment in the family where its members are not allowed to pursue their passions and desires. She exerts a tyrannical dominance and will over her daughters regarding their individual choice and freedom to choose a husband. Thus the woman with her cane that signifies her power and control resembles any tyrannical authority of the world as well as the regime of Franco. Notes 1. Klein A. Dennis, Blood Wedding, Yerma, and The House of Bernarda Alba: Garcia Lorca’s Tragic Trilogy, (Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1991) 2. David Richard Jones and Susan Jones. “Federico Garcia Lorca”. www.repertorio.org/education/pdfs/lorca.pdf 3. David Richard Jones and Susan Jones. “Federico Garcia Lorca”. 4. Ian Gibson, The Assassination of Federico García Lorca (London: W. H. Allen, 1979) 5. Paul Stuart, "Spain: Federico Garcia Lorca’s body to be exhumed” Victim of Franco’s Falangist militia. 11 October 2003 world socialist website, http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/oct2003/lorc-o11.shtml 6. David Richard Jones and Susan Jones. “Federico Garcia Lorca”. 7. Quoted in Zenia S. D. Silv, “The Hispanic Connection” (New York: Green wood publishing group, 1971) 8. “Web Review on Federico Garcia Lorca" http://www.periwork.com/peri_db/wr_db/2006_April_26_15_29_12/index.html 9. Paul Stuart, "Spain: Federico Garcia Lorca’s body to be exhumed” Victim of Franco’s Falangist militia. 10. “Federico García Lorca”, three plays of the absurd, http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc67.html Bibliography Dennis A. Klein, Blood Wedding, Yerma, and The House of Bernarda Alba: Garcia Lorca’s Tragic Trilogy, Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1991 “Federico García Lorca”, Three Plays of the Absurd, http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc67.html Gibson, Ian. The Assassination of Federico García Lorca, London: W. H. Allen, 1979 Jones, R. David & Jones, Susan. “Federico Garcia Lorca”. www.repertorio.org/education/pdfs/lorca.pdf Stuart, Paul. "Spain: Federico Garcia Lorca’s body to be exhumed” Victim of Franco’s Falangist militia. 11 October 2003 world socialist website, http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/oct2003/lorc-o11.shtml “Web Review on Federico Garcia Lorca" http://www.periwork.com/peri_db/wr_db/2006_April_26_15_29_12/index.html Zenia S. D. Silv, The Hispanic Connection. New York: Green wood publishing group, 1971 Read More