Mother Courage
Bertolt Brecht, In Mother Courage, challenges the accepted concepts of three major values of western society: capitalism, religion, and heroes. He shows how capitalism is flawed by the actions Mother Courage does in order to sustain herself. He challenges religion by showing the hypocrisy of its leaders. Brecht rejects the traditional notion of a hero as being obsolete and presents in the story two examples of traditional heroism and the outcome.Mother Courage represents the people who struggle to survive in a capitalist system. As a result of her position, she has to be greedy, impersonal, and solely interested in the welfare of her business. Brecht does intend that Mother Courage be seen a proponent of the capitalist system, but as being a victim of the system, working for basic survival. "They call me Courage, sergeant, because when I saw ruin staring me in the face I drove out of Riga through cannon fire with fifty loaves of bread in my wagon. They were getting moldy, I had no choice." An example of Mother Courage's greediness is when Swiss Cheese is caught as a Protestant soldier. Mother Courage's primary concern is to bribe the Catholics for the release of Swiss Cheese with as little money as possible. Her haggling takes t
" First Soldier: "I know what'll make him think twice. Not a common war, but a war for the faith, and therefore pleasing to God. Mother Courage's actions and decisions are a result of her situation and her desire to survive: "Heavenly saints! Kattrin, peace! Put your black dress on! We're going to church. Once there is a cease-fire, Mother Courage no longer has to fear that she will be put at risk if she mourns for the death of Swiss Cheese. The hero is another concept in western society that Brecht challenges. Get this: If you don't help us, I'll cut them down. " The society she lives in constantly is pushing her around and trying to destroy her. She is a hero since she struggles and succeeds. However, she manages to defy those forces and actually keep her business alive despite danger from soldiers, danger of being found out as a Protestant, periods of peace, and losing three children. Every action Mother Courage does in the story is for the survival of herself and her children: lying about being a Catholic, haggling about a bribe, Illicitly buying munitions, smearing her daughters face with charcoal. I'll manage, there isn't much in it. The people who suffer the consequences of the war fought for religion are the soldiers, the proletariat, such as Swiss Cheese.
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Acceptance Essays
