A review by thisamtheplace
The Good Woman of Setzuan by Bertolt Brecht

2.5

"Who can long refuse to be bad?"

A socialist parable in the form of a play. We follow Shen Te as she tries to run her business and be 'good' in capitalist society - two things which we quickly find and mutually exclusive. Such to the point that she invents a male alter ego to ensure she is able to flourish and protect herself, yet slowly become corrupted. 

This is a rather simple critique of capitalism - there is little i can myself critique about it, but I also don't think it is a necessary or essential read. 

"Your injunction
To be good and yet to live 
Was a thunderbolt:
It has torn me in two 
I can't tell how it was
But to be good to others 
And myself at the same time
I could not do it"