How we cite our quotes: (Scene, Line numbers)
Quote #1
THE CHAPLAIN: […] when Our Lord turned the five loaves into five hundred there was no war on and he could tell people to love their neighbours as they had enough to eat. Today it's another story. (II, 127-130)
Sound familiar? Not so much, Chap. The chaplain takes two well-known biblical themes and dismisses them as irrelevant to the present day, so as to justify theft and murder. (Take a look at our section on "Allusions" for more on this.) Whenever biblical themes pass through the prism of war in Mother Courage, they always seem to come out wrong.
Quote #2
THE GENERAL: […] Hacked 'em to pieces, did you, so my gallant lads can get a proper bite to eat? What do the scriptures say? 'Whatsoever thou doest for the least of my brethren, thou doest for me.' And what did you do for them? Got them a good square meal of beef, because they're not accustomed to mouldy bread […]. (II, 132-137)
What would Jesus do? Well, for one, he probably wouldn't become a general. In this line, the general compares himself to Jesus, who tells his followers that they please him most whenever they help their weakest member. At the same time, though, the general praises Eilif for violently murdering peasants and stealing their cattle. That clearly doesn't jive with Jesus' message of non-violence. Passages like this one are there to demonstrate the abuse of religious themes by those in positions of power.
Quote #3
THE CHAPLAIN: Don't give way to your feelings, cook. To fall in battle is a blessing, not an inconvenience, and why? It is a war of faith. None of your common wars but a special one, fought for the faith and therefore pleasing to God.
THE COOK: Very true. It's a war all right in one sense, what with requisitioning, murder and looting and the odd bit of rape thrown in, but different from all the other wars because it's a war of faith; stands to reason. But it's thirsty work at that, you must admit. (III, 150-158)
The cook's not buying it. In this exchange, the cook gives free reign to his cynical contempt for what the chaplain calls "a war of faith." The cook sees right through the chaplain's rhetoric: calling the war "pleasing to God" is just a way to draw attention away from the fact that war is war, no matter how you spin it, "with requisitioning, murder, and looting and the odd bit of rape thrown in."