The Good Person of Szechwan by Bertolt Brecht

     I found The Good Person of Szechwan to be one of the most difficult readings we have been assigned this semester. In the play, Bertolt Brecht takes a different approach by applying an alienation effect. Brecht does this by both having the actors directly address the audience and by frequently adding songs within the text.

     Although I do understand why Brecht chose such an approach when writing The Good Person of Szechwan, I found the play confusing and hard to follow at times. I feel that the songs added a limited contribution to the meaning of the text and at points had little to do with what was being discussed. I am also not very fond of musicals, which may have something to do with my feelings about the play, but I would be more understanding if I felt that it was beneficial to the work as a whole.

     Even though I did not enjoy Brecht's use of song throughout the play as an alienation effect, I did find the points at which the actors address the audience to be interesting. By doing this, the audience is able to get a better understanding of the actors personalities and the challenges they face, allowing the audience to reflect upon what is going on in the play as it happens. Brecht ends the play asking the audience “what would you suggest? What is your answer? Nothing's been arranged. Should men be better? Should the world be changed? Or just the gods? Or ought there to be none?,” leaving the audience to chose their own endings (651).