41 pages • 1 hour read
Bertolt BrechtMother Courage and Her Children
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1939A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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The Black Crosses
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to rape.
In the opening scene, Mother Courage is challenged by the Sergeant and Recruiting Officer who first try to prevent her from selling her wares and then accuse her of selfishly profiting off the war. They argue it is just for them to recruit her son Eilif into service because it is only fair that she sacrifices to the war that has enriched her. Mother Courage attempts to gain power over the men by asserting that she has abilities to foretell the future. Though she hopes to prove to the men that her sons will survive the war, her efforts backfire on her when she instead predicts the death of all three of her children. The black crosses symbolize death—black being a foreboding color associated with bad omens and evil, and crosses associated with the crucifixion of Christ. The cross is also fitting given that the war is a religious one. The blackness of the crosses Mother Courage makes suggest a tarnishing of Christianity, underscoring the way few—if any—of the characters involved in the war are truly devout. In this way, the black crosses highlight the hypocrisy involved in a religious war, illustrating the way that Christian doctrines of love for the enemy are quickly disregarded.
Mother Courage is angered when all three of her children are predicted to die, but her primary reason for wanting her children alive is so that they can pull her wagon. Thus, Mother Courage herself is a problematic character.
Yvette’s Red Boots
Yvette Pottier, a sex worker, is presented as a foil to Kattrin. Unapologetic of her profession, Yvette is resourceful and able to trick men to advance her interests. The red boots are what she dons to attract customers—red being representative of sexuality. Kattrin, who is considered unattractive and therefore unappealing to men, covets the boots, captivated by their beauty. Kattrin’s interest in the boots is alarming to Mother Courage, who does not want Kattrin to become a sex worker. Mother Courage insists the boots remain out of sight, reprimanding Kattrin when she parades around in them. In this way, Mother Courage seeks to hide Kattrin’s sexuality, just as she vocalizes her desire to keep her safe from soldiers who may attack her. By desexualizing Kattrin, Mother Courage is certain she will keep her out of harm’s way.
However, Mother Courage’s rejection of Kattrin as a sexual being is problematic. Though Mother Courage blatantly criticizes Yvette for multiple sex partners, she freely speaks of having three children, each by a different man. Sex within the confines of marriage is permissible to Mother Courage, further evidenced by her repeated insistence that she find a husband for Kattrin. In this way, the play suggests that wife or sex worker are the only suitable roles for women and the most effective way to keep men from physically harming them.
Courage and Bravery
Both the title and Mother Courage’s moniker establish courage and bravery as important motifs. Mother Courage defines bravery as the ability to persevere in a war zone—to sell her goods at a fair price no matter the risk of danger this brings to her or her children. Her traveling across Europe during combat conveys her determination to succeed in her business; ironically, she is dependent on the war to survive. In addition to the danger posed by the enemy, she and Kattrin—Kattrin especially—are most vulnerable because they are women. Mother Courage, however, is shrewd and undeterred by officials who try to shut down her business and determined to keep Kattrin from being attacked or raped by enemy soldiers. To navigate in this male dominated world requires courage.
Mother Courage’s assertion of this virtue parallels the notion of bravery of soldiers in combat. Traditionally, risking one’s safety for his country is regarded as an honorable—and thus brave—action. Mother Courage, however, challenges this truism by insisting that war should not depend on brave soldiers, arguing that any ordinary person should be skilled enough to do battle. In her view, the desire for brave soldiers means that superiors must be requiring their soldiers to perform particularly risky or dangerous tasks. Thus it is she, as a tradeswoman, who requires courage, not the soldiers in battle. Her son, Eilif, insists that he is brave, but his actions indicate otherwise: The feats he brags of are not battle victories but instead are committed against innocent and defenseless civilians. In all these ways, the play calls into question how courage is defined and displayed.
Related Titles
By Bertolt Brecht
