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Yang Sun
Shu Fu is a wealthy barber whose shop is near Shen Te’s. Shu Fu is a respected businessman who falls in love with Shen Te in spite of her involvement with the scoundrel Yang Sun. Shu Fu wants to marry Shen Te because of how good, kind, and charitable she is—even though he knows that she is hung up on another lover. Shen Te rejects Shu Fu’s offers of kindness, loyalty, and financial support but she instead absconds with Yang Sun, leaving Shu Fu heartbroken. Nevertheless, Shu Fu remains becomes committed to helping Shen Te’s business flourish. He offers her generous loans, even writing her a blank check when she falls into dire straits, and he offers Shui Ta the use of his property, a set of cabins behind a nearby field. Shen Te’s inability to accept Shu Fu’s offers of love and devotion—even as she willingly accepts his cash—demonstrates the dual identities and emotional sacrifices women must make to stay afloat in a greedy, capitalist, patriarchal world.
Shu Fu Quotes in The Good Woman of Setzuan
The The Good Woman of Setzuan quotes below are all either spoken by Shu Fu or refer to Shu Fu. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Scene 4 Quotes
SHEN TE: Your brother is assaulted, and you shut your eyes?
He is hit, cries out in pain, and you are silent?
The beast prowls, chooses and seizes his victim, and you say:
"Because we showed no displeasure, he has spared us."
If no one present will be witness, I will. I'll say I saw it.
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Scene 8 Quotes
YANG SUN: And the seven elephants hadn’t any tusks
The one that had the tusks was Little Brother
Seven are no match for one, if the one has a gun!
How old Chang did laugh at Little Brother!
Keep on digging!
Mr. Chang has a forest park
Which must be cleared before tonight
And already it's growing dark!
Smoking a cigar, SHUI TA strolls by.
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Scene 10 Quotes
POLICEMAN: The evidence, in short, my lord, proves that Mr. Shui Ta was incapable of the crime of which he stands accused!
FIRST GOD: I see. And are there others who could testify along, shall we say, the same lines?
SHU FU rises
POLICEMAN (whispering to GODS): Mr. Shu Fu—a very important person.
FIRST GOD (inviting him to speak): Mr. Shu Fu!
SU FU: Mr. Shui Ta is a businessman, my lord. Need I say more?
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Shu Fu Character Timeline in The Good Woman of Setzuan
The timeline below shows where the character Shu Fu appears in The Good Woman of Setzuan. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Scene 4
...night. Mrs. Shin laments that Shen Te is “carrying on” with a man. The barber, Shu Fu , angrily kicks Wong out of his shop for “pestering” his customers, burning Wong’s hand...
(full context)
...she distributes rice to each of them and then she ducks into the carpet shop. Shu Fu , who has noticed Shen Te, remarks to the others how beautiful she is. He...
(full context)
Scene 5
...on between Shen Te and Yang Sun—and to remember that the wealthy barber next door, Shu Fu , is interested in marrying Shen Te. When Shui Ta doesn’t answer Mrs. Shin, she...
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...Shin comes out of the back and she declares that Shui Ta should talk with Shu Fu and arrange a marriage between the barber and Shen Te. She goes off to get...
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Mrs. Shin returns with Shu Fu . Shui Ta tells Shu Fu that Shen Te is in “grave danger”—she has lost...
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Wong and the policeman enter looking for Shen Te. Shu Fu pretends to be busy looking at the shelves. Shui Ta tells the officer and Wong...
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Shui Ta apologizes to Shu Fu for the commotion. Pointing to the shawl, which Shen Te bought to impress her lover,...
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Shu Fu addresses the audience. He declares that he will be nothing but proper during his dinner...
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Mrs. Shin comes out of the back, and Shu Fu asks what she knows about Yang Sun. Mrs. Shin declares he is a “worthless rascal.”...
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...Sun asks Shen Te what’s going on. Shen Te declares that she intends to hear Shu Fu ’s plans to help the poor. Yang Sun cannot believe that Shen Te has agreed...
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As Yang Sun leads Shen Te from the shop, Shu Fu shouts for Shui Ta. Shen Te begs him to stop—her cousin doesn’t agree with her,...
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Scene 7
Shu Fu enters. He tells Shen Te that he has seen her sacrifice her own happiness so...
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...Shen Te is dizzy because she’s pregnant. If Shen Te is pregnant, Mrs. Shin suggests, Shu Fu will never let her have the money. Shen Te caresses her stomach and she excitedly...
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...takes the little boy by the hand and she declares that he can live in Shu Fu ’s cabins. She may have to go there herself, she says, as she is expecting...
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Shen Te asks Wong to go find Shu Fu . Before sending him off, though, she asks about his hand. Wong shows Shen Te...
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Shen Te and the others return, making a plan to meet up at Shu Fu ’s cabins soon. When Shen Te sees the carpenter’s son eating garbage, she shoos the...
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...lament that the shop is closing down and that they will have to move to Shu Fu ’s terrible cabins. The unemployed man enters and, upon seeing the shop is closing, suggests...
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...Mi Tzu asks if Shui Ta can pay rent in advance. Shui Ta pulls out Shu Fu ’s check and he writes it out for 10,000 silver dollars, assuring Mrs. Mi Tzu...
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...the carpenter and his children, the sister-in-law, the grandfather, and the unemployed man off to Shu Fu ’s cabins, leaving Wong and Mrs. Shin behind.
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Scene 8
Shui Ta has established a tobacco factory in Shu Fu ’s cabins. Several families, mostly women and children, work together. The sister-in-law, the grandfather, the...
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Scene 9
...Shin if the neighbors are circulating any rumors. Mrs. Shin says that as long as Shu Fu doesn’t learn the truth, there is “nothing to worry about.” She offers Shui Ta a...
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...hears a noise at the door, he shoves the things away. Mrs. Mi Tzu and Shu Fu enter and ask why they’ve been sent for. Shui Ta says the factory is in...
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...if she agrees to tell the police that Shui Ta is taking over her buildings. Shu Fu declares that it will be good to have Yang Sun employed elsewhere when Shen Te...
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Scene 10
...have harmed his cousin. The first god asks if anyone else will offer similar testimony. Shu Fu rises and declares that a fellow businessman could never be guilty of such a crime—Shui...
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...he deduces, must still be alive, and Shui Ta must be innocent of her murder. Shu Fu says that Yang Sun recognized Shen Te’s sobs because he himself made her cry so...
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