Viridiana ending explained

What happens

After the beggars' riot, a changed Viridiana goes to Jorge's room. She finds him with his maid Ramona and a deck of cards, and sits down to play. The saint has joined the household she tried to escape.

The last image

Viridiana, Jorge and Ramona sit at a table, playing cards.

Two readings

1 · Quiet surrenderHer vocation is undone; she gives up goodness for a comfortable, worldly arrangement.

2 · Clear-eyed acceptanceShe accepts how people actually live, humbler and wiser than before.

What it says

Goodness could not change the world, so she joins it. The card game is small and domestic, which is why it cuts deeper than punishment would. It was reportedly devised to satisfy the censors, yet it made the film more cutting.