Character Analysis Kattrin in Mother Courage free essay sample

English 2307-02R Mother Courage and Kattrin In the time of war families fall apart, people die and others struggle to survive. Mother Courage brings her children to the war so that she can sell to the soldiers to make enough to get by with. This is her method of surviving and keeping them fed. Mother Courage shows to be selfish and arrogant through the play while her daughter only seems to get braver and fearless as time goes on. Kattrin and mother courage could not be more opposite through this entire play. Kattrin always shows more heart towards everything that happens around her and she shows more courage than her mother does. Mother courage always seems to care to an extent. She cares more about surviving even if that means she has to be selfish. By contrast, humanity and compassion are Kattrins upstanding qualities. She shows more caring qualities towards others. We will write a custom essay sample on Character Analysis: Kattrin in Mother Courage or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She tries to help and protect others when she can even if it means she could get hurt. She made risky decisions in scene five Kattrin selflessly runs into a burning house to rescue a baby that she had no relation to at all. The peasant: The babys still in there! [Kattrin runs in. ] [Kattrin emerges from the ruins carrying an infant. (Brecht, 359) She continues to show everyone that she as no limits to doing what she feels is the right thing to do. Kattrin is self-sacrificing and generous, her qualities are much more heroic than any by which mother courage could ever obtain. Towards the end of the play when it is at its highest climax Kattrin makes an absolute crazy decision only thinking of what could happen to others if she did no try to act, she tried to alert others that their lives were in danger which results in her death by which soldiers shot her down. [The soldiers fire. Katrin is hit. She beats the drum a few times more and then slowly collapses] (Brecht, 379) This is Kattrins last complete action of nobleness; this was something that could never be expected from her mother. She dies for a cause that she believes was worth the sacrifice, but even like that her goodness and heart pass by completely unnoticed by anybody. To everyone else she was Just the mute girl that was told to be naive. Through out the whole story Kattrin without saying a single word she says the most out of all of her brothers. Her actions spoke louder than any words she could have said. By contrast mother courage repeatedly shows that she is only interested in herself and her business. Mother courage refuses to donate linen to help injured peasants claiming that she had to think about herself before she could help others. She shows to be nothing more than a selfish mother who did not want her children to care or even think about helping other people. In the end these qualities are what help her survive but she has nobody left besides her wagon to share her survival with. By her arrogant ignorance to care about others she lost the only family she had. She shows temper and began to argue with her. Mother Courage: Not at all, Im only saying your temper isnt long enough, it wont get you anywhere (Brecht, 356) In this line mother courage tells the young soldier that he does not have a strong enough temper to do something about injustice. She sings the song of the Great Capitulation where the verses I believe speak out the most are When I was young, no more than a spring chicken I too thought that I was really quite the cheese One little hair in the soup would make me sicken And at me no man dare to sneeze Brecht, 357) In this part of the song it says that mother courage used to believe she was smarter and deserved better than everybody else. She thought she was the cheese and nobody dared to touch her. But she realized that is not how things are in reality. mfou think God provides But youVe got it wrong! (Brecht, 357) This says you think that god can do everything for you but it takes more than that. It takes more than believing it takes actions of your own to actually do something. In comparison mother courage and Kattrin have but a few qualities that might seem alike. They are very different people; they have different values and different ways of viewing things. Mother courage has a high level of courage but only to take care of her self. Kattrins courage level is so much greater than her mothers because she ever thinks about herself only about helping others. While her mother on the other hand cannot stop thinking about herself before she makes any decision.