Resumo de The Good Person Of Sezuan

In aggressive and unjust societies the good can survive only by means of evil ? this is the underlying message of this play. Sounds harsh and pessimistic but this but this was the only philosophy that could have saved the allied powers from the from the aggressive "Axis" forces during the Second World War thereby ensuring the victory and survival of good in the world. The Good person? is an allegorical play set in the early 19th century China and tells the story of Shenthe -the prostitute. Although her profession is of the lowliest kind she has a heart of gold and tries hard to strictly observe all the commandments set by the Gods. But the Gods as they have been portrayed in the play are weak and impotent and are powerless to aid the ailing masses. They refuse to modify their outdated commandments that have lost their relevance in this present age, and as a result they themselves have become irrelevant to their devotees. This becomes apparent when they take a tour of the entire nation to dig out one good person who had been strictly observing all their commandments but not only are they unable to find even one person, they are refused shelter no matter where they go. It?s only in Shezwan that Shenteh agreed to take them in for the night. The Gods on coming to know of her plight decide to help her out with money and encouraged her to start a new life. Shenteh tried her hand at business and became a tobacconist, but she was too kind and generous a soul to become successful in a field that demands a shrewd mind and a cold heart. Frauds and self- seekers hounded Shenteh the moment she set shop and in her zeal to help as many she could, she turned her shop into an asylum and her fledgling business unable to bear the weight of so many free-loaders was on the verge of collapsing. It?s at this point that Shuita the alter ego of Shenteh entered the scene masquerading as Shenteh?s cousin. Shuita is everything that Shenteh is not ? shrewd, calculating, and practical. He got rid of the freeloaders and turned the business that was literally going up in smoke into a major success. Now the unemployed had a source of employment and income. But the work was hard and the conditions harsh. Shuita hired Shenteh?s former lover as a spy to keep an eye on the workers and take strict actions against those guilty of not working hard enough. But the secret couldn?t remain hidden for long and soon the workers and other people of the province started agitating and Shenteh?s continuous absence and accused Shuita of having murdered her for money. The matter reached the court and where the Gods were also present and here Shuita revealed her true identity much to the shock of those present. Shenteh\Shuita told her story and asked the Gods for a way that would have enabled her to remain kind and generous and yet not be destroyed because it. The Gods were forced to realize her predicament but only solution they could offer was that she could don the Shuita mask but only occasionally. It becomes obvious that the Gods had no solutions to offer. They were glad they had found at least good human being that justified their position as "GODS" but wanted nothing more to do with their most supreme creations and their complicated problems.
The playwrights message is very clear- traditional Christian religion has become outdated and can no longer furnish answers to the problems and doubts faced by modern man. What we need is a whole new set of beliefs and a modern value system to ensure the survival of all that is good in this world

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