Mother Courage and Her Children Theme of Warfare

There's no getting around the fact that Mother Courage is a play about war. It begins during a war. It ends during the same war. War is basically inescapable. So, what is it good for? Well, let's remember that Brecht wrote Mother Courage in 1939, during World War II, after witnessing the Nazi's ascent to power in Germany. Of course, at that time, Brecht could not have known about the atrocities committed by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Instead of dealing with that legacy, Mother Courage protests against a war that seems to have no end in sight and to be bringing benefit to no one but those in power.

1. Does Mother Courage really portray war as all-consuming, or does it leave room for hope? If so, how?
2. What can we conclude about war by looking at the portrayal of soldiers in Mother Courage?
3. How would the play change if one of the "big shots," say the general, were a main character?
4. Would Mother Courage make a different impression if it included a scene from before the start of the war?

Mother Courage learns nothing from her experience of war, and leaves the stage with no remorse. This confirms Brecht's motto, "War teaches people nothing." (See the introduction to the Penguin Classics edition of Mother Courage, xi.)

Brecht's play portrays war unfairly, when it is suggested that all the blame for wartime injustice lies with the leaders who wage war.