The Good Person of Szechwan Essay Example

In The Good Person of Szechwan, Bertolt Brecht portrays his Marxist ideals through the actions of his characters and their reactions to their poor social conditions. The major theme of his work emphasizes that those who survive are the ones who rule not by goodness but by the evil and corruption in the society. Shu Fu, a wealthy barber, reinforces this notion that good deeds are taken advantage of in the evil and capitalistic world. As the Gods quest for a good person, they come across a man named Wang, who directs them to Shen Teh. Although she does not live by the commandments, Shen Teh convinces the Gods that it is hard to live a good life without money. To maintain her “good” reputation, Shen Teh creates an alter ego cousin, Shui Ta. While Shu Fu is very generous towards Shen Teh financially, he is not perceived as a “good” person. Shu Fu is a significant minor character in The Good Person of Szechwan as he serves to illustrate the difference in Shen Teh and Shui Ta and portrays Brecht’s perspective on goodness. Although Shen Teh and Shu Fu lived in the same town of Szechwan, Shu Fu first notices her after she is the owner of a store. This is evident when he says, “the beauty of Miss Shen Teh, the owner of the tobacconist’s opposite, whom I have never previously noticed. I have watched her for three minutes, and I believe I am already in love…” (45-46). Although he takes great interest in her, the audience perceives that he many not have ever noticed her if she had not been the owner of her store. Shu Fu thinks of himself as a good man, especially because he offers some of his building to Shen Teh for the homeless. However, making it known that it was his doing shows that he cares more about appearing “good” rather than actually being good. Would he have done the same good deeds anonymously? He even says, “could one be more unselfish?” (61). In addition, he says “no profiting from a disappointment…by a gland alone will they acknowledged, a glance that can