FEMALE OPPRRESSION IN LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA
Katarina Milosevic
In this essay, female oppression in La Casa de Bernarda Alba will be discussed and analyzed. However, in order to be able to understand the importance of this theme and the impact it has had on the play, one must first understand the role of female oppression in the Spanish society in the 1930s.
The 1930s were a period of many changes in Spain, especially because Francisco Franco started ruling the country and the political problems that arose. Things slowly started changing for women because of the foundation of Mujeres Libres, a female anarchist organization that fought for female rights. Until then, the general view of women was that of Proudhon, which meant that women were to be seen as reproducers whose role was to contribute to the society by taking care of their household and their children . This was especially common in the rural areas of Spain, where women could even be forced into arranged marriages against their will and almost had no say in what happened to them. The main oppressor of La Casa de Bernarda Alba is actually Bernarda, the mother of
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In the play, Bernarda can be considered the “regime”, but in reality this could be a symbol of the growing threat of fascism and the first stages of the civil war in 1930s Spain.
At this point in the essay, it is clear that social norms and customs have contributed to oppressing female characters in the play, but there is another element which has not been mentioned before and it is religion. Religion, in this case Christianity, promotes chastity and discourages sex before marriage. To keep her daughters “pure”, Bernarda does not allow them to have a boyfriend or to interact with men while they are
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(The bright white interior of Bernarda’s house. Thick walls. Arched doorways with canvas curtains edged with tassels and ruffles. Rush chairs. Paintings of
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