Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Good Woman of Setzuan, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Pursuit of Goodness
Greed, Capitalism, and Corruption
Women and Dual Identities
Humanity vs. The Divine
Summary
Analysis
Wong, crouched in his sewer pipe den, curls up and goes to sleep. The audience sees Wong’s dream. In his dream, the gods appear to him. Wong apologizes to them for failing to find a single room in Setzuan for them to use. The first god, however, says that Shen Te took them in. Wong laments his stupidity. The gods sing a song in which they chastise Wong for his “hasty judgment” of others. Wong apologizes. The first god bids Wong to return to Setzuan, find Shen Te, and give the gods a “report” on how she’s doing. The first god suggests that Wong should show interest in Shen Te’s goodness—as “no one can be good for long if goodness is not in demand.” The gods declare their intent to carry on their search for more good people elsewhere and then they vanish.
Wong’s debt to the gods is not paid—they need to use him to determine whether they were right about Shen Te, and whether her goodness can hold up when it’s wealth and capital—not goodness—that’s “in demand.” The gods are not done with their search, but at the moment, it is all hinging on Shen Te. They are determined to keep tabs on her, as her behavior will influence the rest of their journey.
Themes
