Knives Symbol Analysis

Because the Bridegroom’s mother speaks extensively about the danger of knives and anything “that can cut a man,” the audience naturally comes to associate them with unnecessary violence. This is especially true because of the way the old woman talks about knives, urging her son—and, really, anybody who will listen—to recognize how ridiculous and sad it is that a person can kill somebody with such a small instrument. “Is it fair?” she asks. “Is it possible that a thing as small as a pistol or a knife can put an end to a man who’s a bull?” By asking this question, the Bridegroom’s mother urges the audience to consider the tragic fact that humans are so violent that they find ways to end each other’s lives with even the smallest tools. Interestingly enough, though, a knife never actually appears in any of the play’s most significant scenes, thereby becoming nothing more than an ominous presence that hovers throughout the narrative. In turn, García Lorca uses the mere idea of knives to symbolize not only humanity’s inherently violent nature, but also the ever-present sense of fear that accompanies this kind of aggression.