The Good Woman Of Setzuan

Wang sells water, monetizing a necessity of life just as food, shelter, and medical care are monetized in capitalism. Although it is necessary, the supply and demand change with the whims of nature and the weather. When there is no water, Wang has none to sell and so he starves. And when there is too much, Wang cannot sell any and he also goes hungry. Only Shen Te buys water when there is rain, giving Wang money as a kindness. She offers water to Yang Sun as a form of care and nurturing. In capitalism, money becomes like water—it is just as necessary to survive. Wang refers to Shen Te’s tobacco shop as a gift from the gods, “a little fountain of goodness” (102). Shui Ta responds, justifying the way he has managed Shen Te’s business in the courtroom by asserting, “[O]therwise the fountain would have dried up, fool!” (102). However, although too little water is deadly, so is too much. For instance, flooding has plagued the province of Kwan for decades.

Brecht uses drowning and flooding imagery to describe living in poverty. The pregnant sister-in-law refers to her family as “rats climb[ing] onto a sinking ship” (18) as they move into Shen Te’s shop.