Clearly, being a Good is a very generalized subject, but as it was clearly stated in this book by Bertolt Brecht:”…the world cannot go as it is. No one can stay on earth and remain good”. As I begun my journey in the book of Bertolt Brecht “The Good Person of Szechwan”, I had the same question for Gods as Shen Teh “How can I be good when everything so expensive?” Again, we still need to define what is being “Good” means?
For Shen Teh being Good means: helping people in need, being honest and honorable in deeds, making all the necessary sacrifices for people we love, and yet she fails. She helps people in need and ends up being in trouble. She earns love of some, and becomes grotesque for others, but despite all the cruelty of the reality she still manages to have a kind heart
On the contrary, the opposite personality, Shui Ta (more capitalist version of Shen Teh), manages to keep the shop out of financial and legal trouble and plays by the rules of the reality. In time, he turns the tobacconist shop into factory, provides jobs and income to people in need, and creates greater Good.
So, who creates greater Good, Shen Teh with her love and kindness, or Shui Ta with his practical approach?
Kindness and willingness to help others are wonderful and admirable, but “The unfortunate fact is that the poverty in this city is too much for any individual to correct”. Transformation of Shen Teh into Shui Ta was absolutely necessary in order to proceed with Good Deeds. Shen Teh and Shia Ta complete each other in their journey of building Good, Shen Teh creates Good and Shia Ta finds resources for it.
So, my position is: it is NOT impossible to be a good person and survive in a capitalist system, as long as you following the principles of the cruel reality.
Obviously, cold and practical personality of Shia Ta serves him well. It keeps him out of trouble and leads him to prosperity. But he doesn’t have any friends and people hate him. Also, I don’t think he would prosper if it wasn’t for goodness of Shen Teh. “People don’t like coming to you. I expect they started by waiting Shen Teh to come back..”
Despite the fact that caring and supporting personality of Shen Teh fails her in terms of survival, but she makes many friends: “Shen Teh’s friends will never give up the search for her. The good person is not easily forgotten”.
So, Shen Teh and Shui Ta need each other. Warmth and kindness of Shen Teh attracts people to the shop and cold practicality of Shui Tah keeps the shop going, and keeps goodness spreading all around.
So, there is no Good without Evil, and there is no Evil without good!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
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I really like your post. The relationship between Shen Teh and Shui Ta is one that I found to be really complicated. I was not sure how I felt about the actions Shen Teh did as Shui Ta. The way Shui Ta treated people was completely opposite of Shen Teh. Shen Teh herself tells Sun that he cannot love her and like her cousin. I have been questioning the goodness of Shen Teh. Yes she did many good deeds but some of those deeds were undermined by her alter ego Shui Ta. An example of her questionable values is when she was to witness for Wang. She told Wang to go get the police and she would help him to get compensated from the barber. When time comes she is dressed as Shui Ta and sends Wang away. Wang is put in a bad situation because of Shen Teh. The way you explain the need for Shen Teh to have Shui Ta makes me view her differently. I still am unsure how I feel about her but your post has given me another perspective to look at.
ReplyDeleteFor me I found the biggest struggle with waht you said at the beginning "what does it mean to be good" I think that in the book there is the struggle to find what it means. Such as the gods rewarding Shen Teh for her efforts of being good. I found it confusing that they would do this because of her profession. I realized however that she was forced into it. So what if being "good" is more of a reflection of one persons' heart? Granted I don't want to encourage her way of living, it's still wrong but again is what she does the defining whether or not she is good?
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