Curated set · answers marked
At the end of The House of Bernarda Alba, Bernarda claims that her youngest daughter Adela died a virgin. What is the main reason Bernarda provides for this misleading account of Adela's death?
Rationale
Bernarda's fixation on public image and social honor compels her to reject the reality of Adela's suicide. By asserting that Adela was a virgin, she maintains the family's external respectability — the very force that has suffocated all her daughters throughout the play.
At the end of The House of Bernarda Alba, Bernarda insists that her youngest daughter Adela died a virgin. What is the primary reason she gives for demanding silence from her household?
Rationale
Bernarda's final declaration — "My daughter died a virgin!" — stems from her obsessive need to maintain the family's public honor (honra). Regardless of the reality, appearances and social standing take precedence for Bernarda throughout the play.
At the end of The House of Bernarda Alba, what does Bernarda insist upon after the death of her youngest daughter, Adela?
Rationale
In the wake of Adela's tragic suicide, Bernarda insists that the family keep the true cause of death a secret. She claims Adela "died a virgin," putting the family's honour and public image above reality — a chilling final display of her authoritarian control.