Making Better Decisions

The Gods have chosen Shen Te because she is a good person. She has proved that she is not selfish by putting others before herself. She feeds rice to the poor, provides shelter for people who treated her wrong, and lends money to those who ask for it. All of Shen Te’s accomplishments are not enough because she can’t manage to have a successful life.

It seems that Shen Te is well respected in the district she lives in because of what she does for the rest of the people that live there. Every day, she feeds rice to those less fortunate and has gained the name of the Angel of the Slums (41). Feeding those who are less fortunate has gained her some respect from people like the barber, Shu Fu, but not from everybody. When Shu Fu discovered that Shen Te was about to lose her Tobacco shop he immediately offered to help without asking for something in return. He first let her know that he was aware of the unfairness behind her losing her shop, then made sure Shen Te knew that he respected the way she sacrificed herself for others, and then Shu Fu offered a blank check to her disposal (73). This check was the solution to keeping her Tobacco shop, but it wasn’t what Shen Te wanted.

Even though Shen Te is about to lose her Tobacco Shop, she faces other people’s problems. Wong, the water seller, came up to her for help. The Carpenter had lost his shop, was drinking, and his children were on the streets (75). Shen Te quickly finds a solution to the Carpenter’s problem. She manages to find shelter for the Carpenter’s family at Mr. Shu Fu’s cabins, but gets nothing in return. Shen Te’s personal problems are still active. The Carpenter is not going to worry about Shen Te losing her Tobacco shop, nor is going to compensate her for finding him shelter.

Another occasion when Shen Te tries to help others, even if she is not helping herself, is when she gives Yang Sun money. She knows that Yang Sun needs her money to be a pilot again, and she is willing to lose her shop to help him out. There is nothing more she wants than seeing her loved one’s dream come true. Shen Te knows that Yang Sun only wants her money because he confessed to Shui Ta that he was aware of the influence he had over Shen Te.

Yang Sun: “Shen Te is a woman: she is devoid of common sense. I only have to lay my hand on her shoulder, and church bells ring. (56)

What Yang Sun doesn’t know is that Shen Te is aware of his intentions, but knowing Sun’s intentions will not benefit Shen Te.

Shen Te’s good spirit only affects her because she is not doing anything to help herself in the long run. She is not benefiting from all the great things she does to help others. What she needs to do is bring out the Shui Ta she has deep inside herself. If she does, Shen Te will have the strength to make decisions that will make her better off.

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