The film is rife with symbolism and the disintegration of the family's emotional life can be seen as symbolic of the emotional disintegration of the Spanish nation during the civil war.[4][5][6]
The beehive itself has symbolism not only for the audience, but also for one of the characters: Fernando the father. And the beehive symbolizes the same thing for both parties: “the inhumanity of fascist Spain.”[7]
The barren empty landscapes around the sheepfold have been seen as representing Spain's isolation during the beginning years of the Francoist State.[6]
In the film, Fernando describes in writing his revulsion at the mindless activity of the beehive. This is possibly an allusion to human society under Francoism: ordered, organised, but devoid of any imagination.[4][5][6] The beehive theme is carried into the manor house which has hexagonal panes to its leaded windows and is drenched in a honey-colored light.[4][6][8]
The symbolism of this film does not just cover political topics; it also covers aspects of childhood, such as fears, anxieties, and imagination.[9]
Ana represents the innocent young generation of Spain around 1940, while her sister Isabel's deceitful advice symbolizes the Nationals (the Nationalist faction soldiers led by Franco, and their supporters), accused of being obsessed with money and power.[6]
Even the film's setting in history has symbolism of its own. 1940 was a year that Erice and other Spaniards of his generation sees as the start of Franco's rule over Spain.[10]
