Mother Courage: The Price of War
The Price of War
In Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage, Brecht explores the consequences of virtue in a wartime society and suggests that, in order to survive a war, one must rid oneself of virtuous behavior; he uses the children—Swiss Cheese, Eilif, and Kattrin—to represent three deadly virtues: bravery, honesty, and unselfishness. Brecht then demonstrates Mother Courage’s lack of these virtues and her resulting survival at the end of the play. He suggests, however, that perhaps such survival lacks value, illustrating the overbearing reality that war rids the life from any of its victims. One can play by the rules of war and pay the price of an empty life or refuse to play along, guard one’s virtue, and pay the price of death. One of the deadly virtues that Brecht discusses is honesty, and he uses Swiss Cheese as his example of a man whose honesty and loyalty during the war costs him his life. Mother Courage highlights this notable honesty, reminding him, “They made you paymaster because you’re honest and so simple you’d never think of running off with the cash” (43). She then foresees, however, the potential dangers of his honesty as she realizes the extent to which Swiss Cheese would go in order to remain loyal; she warns him, “Swiss Cheese, your sense of duty worries me. I’ve brought you up to be honest because you’re not very bright. But don’t overdo it” (52). Mother Courage worries that if Swiss Cheese is too preoccupied with being honest, he will fail to protect himself. In “The Song of the Great Souls on Earth,” Brecht warns the reader of the price of honesty: “How honest was this Socrates! / Yet long before the day was out / The consequence was clear, alas: / His honesty had brought him to this pass. / A man is better off without” (98). When Swiss Cheese later finds himself in a dangerous situation which tests his sense of duty, he remains loyal and suffers the consequence: death. Swiss Cheese risks his life to hide the cash box in order to
In Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage, Brecht explores the consequences of virtue in a wartime society and suggests that, in order to survive a war, one must rid oneself of virtuous behavior; he uses the children—Swiss Cheese, Eilif, and Kattrin—to represent three deadly virtues: bravery, honesty, and unselfishness. Brecht then demonstrates Mother Courage’s lack of these virtues and her resulting survival at the end of the play. He suggests, however, that perhaps such survival lacks value, illustrating the overbearing reality that war rids the life from any of its victims. One can play by the rules of war and pay the price of an empty life or refuse to play along, guard one’s virtue, and pay the price of death. One of the deadly virtues that Brecht discusses is honesty, and he uses Swiss Cheese as his example of a man whose honesty and loyalty during the war costs him his life. Mother Courage highlights this notable honesty, reminding him, “They made you paymaster because you’re honest and so simple you’d never think of running off with the cash” (43). She then foresees, however, the potential dangers of his honesty as she realizes the extent to which Swiss Cheese would go in order to remain loyal; she warns him, “Swiss Cheese, your sense of duty worries me. I’ve brought you up to be honest because you’re not very bright. But don’t overdo it” (52). Mother Courage worries that if Swiss Cheese is too preoccupied with being honest, he will fail to protect himself. In “The Song of the Great Souls on Earth,” Brecht warns the reader of the price of honesty: “How honest was this Socrates! / Yet long before the day was out / The consequence was clear, alas: / His honesty had brought him to this pass. / A man is better off without” (98). When Swiss Cheese later finds himself in a dangerous situation which tests his sense of duty, he remains loyal and suffers the consequence: death. Swiss Cheese risks his life to hide the cash box in order to