The GOOD Helping The EVIL

Ever since Shen Te has been given those thousand silver dollars from the Gods, she has made it her duty to help and please the needy. But, is helping somebody do bad still a good duty? She has given up her last to help Yang Sun become a pilot again, which is a good duty to do for someone. But, in order to fly the director at Peking airfield has to fire a well-rounded pilot. Yes, this will help Yang Sun financial and will give him another start in life. On the other hand this will affect the other employee who is going to be fired. What if he has family who he needs to support?
When Yang Sun is talking to Shui Ta about how the five-hundred silver dollars is going to help him fly, he states, “Not as these things go. He’ll have to fire one of the present pilots—for negligence. Only the man he has in mind isn’t negligent. Not easy, you understand. You needn’t mention that part of it to Shen Te” (53). Shen Te who is disguising herself to be Shui Ta finds this out and refuses to go with Yang Sun.
When Shui Ta goes in the back and unwraps himself to become Shen Te, she becomes a whole different person. She returns to the front of the shop willing to leave with the Barber, who wants to marry her not just for her money, but then is quickly pulled towards Yang Sun. Why? As Shui Ta she can refuse Yang Sun, but as soon as she removes the mask, she falls straight for Yang Sun, knowing his plans to just use her. Why doesn’t she just take the money back, and let him leave. What is the difference, she is the still the same person inside with or without the mask.
To me, she is desperate for love. This may be the first time she has ever fallen in love with somebody and she just doesn’t want to lose that bond. Being a prostitute was a job and she never had a chance to fall in love. Now that she has she is scared to let go. She loves the feeling of being needed, instead of being used and doesn’t want to lose that. Therefore, she has to disguise herself to be Shui Ta, in order to do something productive without being ran over, like here tobacco company.


Brecht, Bertolt. The Good Woman Of Setzuan. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1948.