These views were illustrated in the play Yerma as it focuses on the struggles of Yerma whose name translates to, “barren land” and her husband Juan. This particular plot hinges on the single fact that Yerma has no children, “We have no children…Juan!” and Juans’ desire to keep her contained in the house where he thinks she belongs. Set in a time where the main purpose of a woman’s life was to take care of her home and raise her children. This fact is extremely concerning for Yerma, as she considers herself useless, and feels that she is under constant scrutiny from the other women in the community. Even though she pleads with her husband to come home to her at night and to stop treating her like property, his only response is that his duty
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As the story goes on her desperation increases and she feels that she is poisoning herself by not having children, “Every woman has enough blood for four or five children and if she doesn’t have them it turns to poison, as it will with me.” Juan becomes increasingly concerned about her mental health and demands her to stay in the house. However she ignores her husbands’ wishes slipping away in the night to pray with a local wise woman. When Juan finds her the next morning he attacks her verbally calling her ungrateful and dishonorable. As time goes by Yerma remains childless and finally succumbs to the accusation that she is the infertile one in her marriage and that she will remain childless. However, as soon as Juan tells her that he is content with never having children she snaps, gripping his neck and killing him. It is in this moment that she realizes she has also killed any chance of having a child, “I myself have killed my son!” leaving her not only barren but now alone. Even with Frederick Garcia Lorca use of an all-female cast in, The House of Bernarda Alba, the mother Bernarda takes on the patriarchal role and suppresses her daughters by forcing them to stay in the house after their fathers’ death, “the eight years of mourning not a breeze shall enter this house. Consider the doors and windows as sealed with bricks” and focus on household and patriarchal chores. The isolation inside this house cause tensions to rise between the
As the story goes on her desperation increases and she feels that she is poisoning herself by not having children, “Every woman has enough blood for four or five children and if she doesn’t have them it turns to poison, as it will with me.” Juan becomes increasingly concerned about her mental health and demands her to stay in the house. However she ignores her husbands’ wishes slipping away in the night to pray with a local wise woman. When Juan finds her the next morning he attacks her verbally calling her ungrateful and dishonorable. As time goes by Yerma remains childless and finally succumbs to the accusation that she is the infertile one in her marriage and that she will remain childless. However, as soon as Juan tells her that he is content with never having children she snaps, gripping his neck and killing him. It is in this moment that she realizes she has also killed any chance of having a child, “I myself have killed my son!” leaving her not only barren but now alone. Even with Frederick Garcia Lorca use of an all-female cast in, The House of Bernarda Alba, the mother Bernarda takes on the patriarchal role and suppresses her daughters by forcing them to stay in the house after their fathers’ death, “the eight years of mourning not a breeze shall enter this house. Consider the doors and windows as sealed with bricks” and focus on household and patriarchal chores. The isolation inside this house cause tensions to rise between the