Symbols
- Heat – in this case, often mentioned and referred to at the height of Bernarda's oppression and fury. Therefore, a symbol for Bernarda's dominating nature. Heat is also another reference to sexual desire represented by the fans and lemonade.
- Black and white – The common Western connotations. Black represents everything bad (death, mourn, oppression, being closed in...) while white represents all things good (the truth, life, freedom). Black is mainly associated with Bernarda and all the daughters who wear black throughout the play, except Adela. . As is already said above, in her craziness she says what all the girls won't dare to say. Another possible interpretation is that white represents sterility or purity, as in the "pure" and "immaculate" appearance of Bernarda's home, and black represents oppression.
- Green – The symbol of future death and, in Hispanic culture, hope: it is worn by Adela when she confesses her love for Pepe el Romano. Can also represent jealousy, i.e. as between the sisters as they find Adela is the lover of Pepe, and over Angustias' engagement with Pepe. The passionate personality of Adela as well. In addition, for Lorca, green represents erotic passion.
- The fan – Adela gives Bernarda a round fan decorated with red and green flowers – a symbol of Adela's uniqueness.
- The cane – Symbolizes the power and sovereignty of Bernarda over her daughters. Adela finally breaks it near the end of the play.
- Some of the characters' names:
- Amelia – From Latin and Old German for "industrious"; Hebrew: "labor of God"
- Martirio – "martyrdom"
- Angustias – "anguishes" or "torments"
- Adela – from the Spanish verb "adelantar" meaning "to go forward" or "to overtake".
- Magdalena – another name of anguish, i.e., the Spanish idiom: "llorar como una Magdalena" ("to weep like Magdalene").
- María Josefa – From the names of Jesus' parents, Mary and Joseph
- Prudencia – Suggesting the virtue of prudence......
Read more about this topic: The House Of Bernarda Alba
Famous quotes containing the word symbols:
“And into the gulf between cantankerous reality and the male ideal of shaping your world, sail the innocent children. They are right there in front of us—wild, irresponsible symbols of everything else we can’t control.”
—Hugh O’Neill (20th century)
“The use of symbols has a certain power of emancipation and exhilaration for all men. We seem to be touched by a wand, which makes us dance and run about happily, like children. We are like persons who come out of a cave or cellar into the open air. This is the effect on us of tropes, fables, oracles, and all poetic forms. Poets are thus liberating gods.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)