Write a detailed note of Characterization in Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Woman of Szechuan.

 Shen Te is the titular character of The Good Woman of Setzuan. She is the onlygood person the gods have found in the world so they reward her with 1,000 silver dollars. Shen Te's needy neighbors take such advantage of her that she can never support herself as well as all the poor people around her. She adopts the alter ego of a male cousin named Shui Ta out of desperation. Shui Ta is a sensible but coldhearted businessman. Shen Te falls in love with an unemployed pilot named Yang Sun who also takes advantage of her. He refuses to marry her because she fails to raise enough money for him to bribe his way into a job. She becomes pregnant with his child and her alter ego must completely take over her life so that she will be able to support her future son.

Shui Ta opens a prosperous tobacco factory with money the wealthy barber gave to Shen Te. His harsh business practices earn him the scorn of the town's lower classes and he is accused of murdering Shen Te. At the trial Shen Te reveals herself to the gods. She expects to be punished for her misdeeds but they simply tell her to "continue to be good."

Shui Ta

Shui Ta is Shen Te's alter ego. He is everything Shen Te is not. He is a coldhearted businessman and does not give in to the endless needs of the "parasites" that swarm the shop. Shui Ta turns a blank check from the wealthy barber Shu Fu into a thriving tobacco business. However, the more successful the business becomes, the more people dislike Shui Ta. Eventually he is accused of murdering the kind Shen Te.

Wong

Wong is an "intimate friend" of Shen Te. The gods continuously visit Wong and ask for reports on Shen Te's welfare. Wong implores them to help her repeatedly but they claim they "never intervene." Shui Ta takes over Shen Te's business and Wong leads the charge of murder against him.

Yang Sun

Yang Sun is an out-of-work pilot. He easily seduces Shen Te. He needs 500 dollars to bribe his way into a pilot's jobs. Shen Te is able to give him the first 200 but he refuses to marry her when she fails to deliver the rest. Later Yang Sun is hired at Shui Ta's tobacco factory to pay off his debt to Shen Te. Yang Sun is promoted to manager after pointing out his predecessor's lenient treatment of the employees.

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