Carol Dell'Amico is a Ph.D. candidate in the Program of Literatures in English at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. In the following essay, Dell'Amico examines how Garcia Lorca's story celebrates community, social life and living, at the same time that it points to the necessity of rebellion in situations where social laws and mores are oppressive or unduly limiting. Carol Dell'Amico teaches English at Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey.

One of Federico Garcia Lorca's most notable features is how his protagonists are named. With the exception of Leonardo, the characters are designated according to their societal position or role; hence, there is a Mother, a Father, a Bridegroom, and so forth. This particular practice of naming de-individualizes his protagonists. They are made to seem less important as individuals than as social beings. This technique suggests that the play advocates the appropriateness and...