In The Good Woman of Setzuan, Shen Te decides to be two different people. She is herself, but she is also her cousin Shui Ta. When I realized that she was playing to be different people, I was very shocked. It seems awkward that when being herself, she wants to help others and only thinks about how to make their lives better. On the other hand, while she is Shui Ta, she only thinks about how to protect herself and make herself better off(Shui Ta and Shen Te). For example, when the wife and the husband ask, “We want to know if we can leave these things in your new home. Will you do us this favor?”(76) Shen Te responds by saying, “Why, yes, I’d be glad to”(76). On the other hand, when the wife and husband tell Shui Ta that them and the carpenter are going to leave their belongings with Shen Te, he says, “That will not be possible”(78). Another example is when Mr. Shu Fu ofers Shen Te a check for any amount she desires. Her, being Shen Te, refuses the offer and leaves the check blank. But when Shui Ta comes around, he cashes the check for ten thousand silver dollars. So when Shen Te is being Shen Te she helps others without ever thinking about herself and that is why she is The Good Woman of Setzuan, but when she disguises herself as Shui Ta, she only thinks about what is more convenient for her. After reading the play, it seems to me that the only reason why Shen Te helps others is to make a name for herself and make everybody like her. She doesn’t seem to be giving out to tobacco or providing others with a place to sleep from the goodness of her heart. Shen Te is secretly ambitious and she figures that the best way to get money from others is being pretending to be innocent and the most caring person in Setzuan.
Works Cited
Brecht, Bertolt. The Good Woman Of Setzuan. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1948.
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You bring up a very interesting thought. Maybe she is being nice only to receive the help from her community. For instance, the old man and woman gave her the money for the rent because she was nice and caring. The same with the Barber, he falls in love with her looks of course but for who she is as a person and the things she does. Then Yang Sun, to me, is only with her because he knows she has money and she is gullible.
ReplyDeleteTo me she switches appearance, because it is harder to demand things when she is know as a prostitute. People wouldn't listen to her. But, when she becomes Shui Ta, people know him as mean and the business man so nobody tries to fool him.