soldiers. In this way many would label her a scavenger. Brecht's label of her as a negative, villainous character may have been one of the reasons that he "punished" her by having her lose her three children. It is Esslin's analysis that "having sacrificed her family to her commercial instinct, she fails to learn her lesson. She continues her trade, and as the final curtain falls she is seen dragging her cart across the stage to catch up with the advancing army" (Esslin 233-4).
While Esslin gets his description right, this reader believes that he fails to see the "courage" in mother Courage. Brecht is dealing with a relative morality in his play, and his title character is used to show man's (and woman's) difficulty in finding an ethical behavior in a world that has gone insane. In this way Brecht is part of the existential movement. Some of Mother Courage's last words are as follows: "The war takes hold and will not quit... Starvation, filth, and cold enslave us ... only a miracle can save us/And miracles have had their day ... And though you may not survive/Get out of bed and look alive!" (Brecht 330).
With these words, Brecht sums up a great deal of his philosophy in the play. He is stating first and foremost that the war is a reality. It is the work of governments and the self-interest of dictators and politicians. It enslaves the common person, who is personified by Mother Courage. Mother Courage knows that a miracle could save all of humanity, but miracles have had their day. Therefore, by being a realist, Mother Courage is something of a heroine: she is able to endure, which has its own noble qualities in an era of self-destruction. Mother Courage's final statement is to persevere. She knows that we may not survive, but it is our duty to "get out of bed" and get back in the race.
It is true that Mother Courage loses three of her children as they are sacrificed in the war. This is the price that she has...