IB – World Literature
Analysis of “Optimism” in The House of Bernada Alba and No one writes the colonel
In both No one writes to the Colonel and The House of Bernarda Alba optimism is a key theme that is present in some characters, but repressed and crushed by others. Whilst the colonel endures a never ending fifteen year wait for his pension, his hope that it will eventually free him and his wife from the poverty that suffocates them as they struggle under the censorship that grips 20th century Columbia. On the other hand the colonel’s wife remains cynical, though perhaps realistic, that the pension will never arrive. In the play The House of Bernarda Alba Adela longs for freedom and power; however her drive to escape and be free is crushed by her oppressive and authoritarian mother. Are these works of literature demonstrating the attempt to destroy all forms of hope in a repressive society? The House of Bernarda Alba was written two months before Lorca’s death, and is a prediction of a Francoist society; all optimism will be crushed by harsh dictatorship and any attempts of freedom will be wiped out. Whilst in 20th century Colombia, the setting for No One Writes to the Colonel, the county was crippled under a military dictatorship where censorship was rife.
In No one writes to the colonel, the theme of optimism is embodied by the colonel and his ability to remain positive despite living in poverty, harsh famine and under censorship. “For nine months, they had spent [the] money penny by penny, parcelling it out between their needs and the rooster’s.” The strenuous ‘penny by penny’ concept over a period of nine months shows the colonel’s determination to keep himself and his rooster alive even though he and his wife often go without eating; making each penny last until his pension arrives. His optimism very much revolves around his belief that his pension will one day arrive, as well as the complete faith he has in the rooster. Such optimism is...