La Poncia
La Poncia, the 60-year-old head servant, serves as Bernarda's foil—she's perceptive, caring, and emotionally intelligent where Bernarda is blind, controlling, and cold. Her 30 years of service give her unique insight into the family's dysfunction.
Despite her lower-class background, Poncia often demonstrates more wisdom than her employer. She repeatedly warns Bernarda about the growing danger between the sisters, particularly regarding Pepe el Romano. Her warnings create dramatic irony—the audience knows disaster is coming even when Bernarda refuses to listen.
Poncia's conflicted position highlights how patriarchal systems affect all women across class lines. She cares deeply about the daughters but remains trapped by social hierarchy and her economic dependence on Bernarda. Her cynical advice about marriage—telling the girls to expect little from it—comes from painful personal experience.
Important insight: Poncia represents the tragic limitation of being able to see problems clearly but lacking the power to solve them.