Anticipation

The report of the day would have been Brecht if one of the students had not been absent. To prepare for the slew of information in the report, our teacher asked us to read Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan. I was unable to read the play during class time, so I have now done a bit of research on it. The story begins with a description of Setzuan by Wong, the water seller. At the time, he is waiting at the front gates of Setzuan to greet the gods. The gods, who are searching for kind people, are turned away from every household save that of a prostitute named Shen Te. Through her hospitality, the gods become convinced that she is a truly good person and reward her with a new start in life. With this generous gift, Shen Te purchases a tobacco shop that furthers her in her quest for goodness. Her kindness is a flaw in itself as it is taken advantage of by a carpenter, a family of eight, Mr. Shu Fu, and Yang Sun. In response, Shen Te creates an alter-ego named Shui Tai who sorts out all the complications of her life. Shui Tai is introduced as her business savvy cousin. By the end of the play, Shen Te falls in love with Yang Sun only to learn that he was planning on her. She disappears for a while, leaving Shui Tai in charge, as she is pregnant. During her absence, Yang Sun takes a job under Shui Tai and demonstrates his incredibly diligent work ethic. When Yang Sun discovers the purpose of Shen Te's absence, he demands Shui Tai to reveal her whereabouts. Unwilling to do so, Shui Tai is taken to court by Yang Sun. The judges at the trial are predictably the gods incognito. Shen Te reveals herself at the trial only after the court has been cleared. Though the gods are shocked, everyone is relieved to find Shen Te in good health. The play bluntly ends with the gods flying off on a cloud wishing Shen Te good fortune.

In creating this synopsis, I have realized that the names of Brecht's characters hold sort of a double meaning. For example, Shen Te, in Chinese, translates to health. This is relative to her character as she is given good fortune and health by the gods. Also, Mr. Shu Fu is supposedly a malicious character, or as I've surmised from the summaries I have read. This is quite ironic as Shu Fu translates into comfort. This double meaning of names definitely adds another erudite layer to the play. I wonder if anyone else noticed.