Chosen by the Gods

Shen Te was chosen by three Gods to change her ways from being a “pauper” (28) to being a good person. She has some money to her advantage to carry about her change, but it is not easy because society is not able to leave Shen Te’s past alone.
Throughout the play, Shen Te shows enthusiasm to achieve what the Gods expect of her. Instead of spending the thousand silver dollars the Gods gave her, Shan Te decided to invest them on a tobacco shop, which makes her an easy target for the people in town who are desperate due to the economy crisis. Before the grand opening of the store, Shan Te already had an entire family begging for hospitality.
Wife: “Shen Te, dear! You’ve come into money, they tell me. And we haven’t a roof over our heads! A tobacco shop. We had one too. But it’s gone. Could we spend the night here, do you think?
Shan Te couldn’t say no. Not too long after, an entire family invaded Shan Te’s tobacco store.
Another case were Shan Te’s kindness was abused was when the carpenter showed up. The carpenter was charging Shen Te for the shelves in the tobacco shop, even though Shan Te claimed to have purchased the tobacco store furnished.
Shan Te told the carpenter: “I took the shop “furnishings included.” (15)
The carpenter replied: " You’re in league with that Mrs. Shin, of course. All right. I demand my hundred silver dollars" (15).
Shan Te was left with no option but to pay the carpenter. Even though Shan Te wasn’t treated the way she was supposed to be, she still felt sympathy for the carpenter. She mentioned to the wife: “He’s done a job, and wants something in return. It’s shameful that I can’t give it to him. What will the God’s say?
Shan Te has changed completely. She takes into consideration the three Gods that have helped her overcome being a prostitute. It seems like these three Gods are the only ones that trust Shan Te can overcome her terrible past because the rest of the people don’t.

work cited: Brecht, Bertolt. The Good Woman of Setzuan. New York: Grove, 1947. Print.