Act 2 Scene 9 Of Mauler

For the first time in scene 9 we are shown a part beginning with a placard that read as follows: “General strike in support of the locked-out stockyard workers!” As mentioned earlier this mentally prepares the audience of what is about to take place and hints them to focus on how it all takes place. As a result of Mauler’s blood sucking nature the laborers decide to call a strike. The sole purpose of the strike is to make sure that the workers are not fooled by false promises fed by those ruling the meat throne. And to remind naïve people like Joan that rich people like Mauler are more inclined towards their own benefit rather than others (poor). Breach shows her giving benefit of the doubt to every person she comes across, which does not benefit her in the long run.
So far Brecht had introduced Mauler to the audience as a man with no guilty conscious and Slift vice versa.
However, now the roles have been reversed. The audience is now introduced to the greedy, manipulative nature of Slift. Even though Mauler very categorically told Slift to give in and sell the livestock to the packers at not higher than 80, Slift abuses the power and sells the livestock at the price of 95 in Mauler’s absence. This reflects on Sllift’s character as this could also imply that he planned on selling the livestock at 95, in order to make some personal profit. It also demonstrates the extent to which people will stoop down in order to get benefit out of a
situation.
“ Have no meat!
Five thousand steers at ninety-five!”
Class difference has been a prevailing theme in this play and has been beautifully painted by Joan in her speech where she compares the entire class system to a seesaw, that is in order to keep one side up (the rich) the other side (the poor) need to suffer and be put to test. In a society the rich win either way, whether they fight or surrender. And ironically enough the rich win at the stake of the poor. However the poor always fight the battle till the end as they have no place to go unlike the rich.
“the snow’s blowing this way
So who would want to stay?
The same as always stayed before:
The stony soil and the very poor.”
Brecht begins the scene with the use of a placard. Even though Mauler is talking to one of the detectives in this scene, what Brecht does is make it sound like he is addressing the audience in third person context, making them feel as spectators and leaving them to question what just happened. The fight between Joan’s faith and mind continue, her faith makes her blame herself for all the trouble as she did not deliver the assigned letter which could have had a positive outcome for the masses(workers). While her mind still debates that Mauler may be human after all.
Therefore, in conclusion, every action performed by each character adds to the larger picture of the play. Brecht tries to let the audience view his work from a critical angle and alienate themselves from the characters and the world they live in. By using many theatrical techniques, such as staging, language, event sequence, he attempts to make an unbiased performance so that the audience is still wondering about the play after they leave the theatre.