The Power of Silence Potrayed By Kattrin the Mute

Mute characters play a significant part in plays. They are the characters most folks would ignore since they do not say something however, mute characters might be the characters who say the most in a play. Within Mother Courage and Her Young children by Bertolt Brecht, the mute character Kattrin shows us that the bravest and for the duration of characters do not have to be the ones who speak the most. Kattrin may possibly be a mute character, but her actions speak a lot, and as the saying goes, ‘Actions speak louder than word.’ Kattrin is brave, sympathetic, and the one who notices every thing in the play, the only factor standing in her way is her incapability to speak.

Brecht’s use of the character Kattrin brings out a lot irony, each dramatic and situational irony. Kattrin could be mute, but she uses her actions to communicate with other individuals. All through the play, Kattrin is seldom noticed by other characters, so when she does actions, no one particular in the play knows what she is undertaking or what she is trying to inform them which is a challenge for her since she knows what she is saying but is unable to get it by way of to others.

Conditions throughout the play occur and some involve Kattrin as the focal point for these conditions. there are several things that come about that the other characters are oblivious to while Kattrin notices it automatically. When Kattrin is casually communicating to her family members, they can understand her and communicate back nevertheless, when a bad situation is about to occur, Kattrin notices it and tries to communicate to her household, they have no clue on what she is trying to say. One particular example would be when Swiss Cheese was about to hide the Money Box.

As Swiss Cheese is preparing to hide the Money Box in the river, two soldiers stand behind him and he is unaware that these two soldiers are there and that they are listening to what he plans to do with the Cash Box. Kattrin was conscious of the soldiers and attempted to signal to her brother what was taking place but he is only far more oblivious to the circumstance and say, “I want I could recognize you. Poor thing, I know you’re attempting to tell me some thing, you just can not say it” (2381) Kattrin’s heroic efforts do not do something to assist save her brother due to the fact she is unable to speak as he stated. This is a type of dramatic irony simply because the audience is aware of Kattrin’s signals and the only person unaware is Swiss Cheese, this would be situational irony that Brecht utilizes to show how Kattrin’s inability to speak comes with several foreshadowing challenges. If Kattrin could speak, her brother might have lived even so, Brecht creating her as a mute character brings more entertainment to the play in each a humorous and suspenseful way.

Yet another instance of Kattrin conscious of a circumstance that others are oblivious to would be when Eilif was becoming recruited by the soldiers. Eilif wants to join the war, but Mother Courage forbids it, so the soldiers attempt to distract Mother Courage by pretending to be interested in acquiring a belt, when genuinely the other soldier pulled Eilif to the side to have a drink with him. As Eilif goes off to talk to the soldier, Kattrin notices it and jumps up screaming, calling her mother’s interest nevertheless, her awareness of the situation did not help and Eilif has currently disappeared into the war, and Mother Courage has lost a youngster due to this. Kattrin’s muteness permits her to listen and observe issues carefully, but when it comes to informing other folks, it constantly ends up becoming as well late.

What we also may notice is that Brecht makes use of Kattrin to show the audience that disabled people are not all dumb. This is seen when Kattrin shows how she looks up to Yvette and desires to have the life Yvette has. Mother courage normally contact Kattrin dumb simply because Kattrin is unable to speak, but is she truly?

Brecht also shows Kattrin’s wants and desires all through the play she desires more for her life. Kattrin is not the average beauty, compared to Yvette, and she is also unable to take care of herself since her mother believes the world is unsafe and Kattrin will simply be taken benefit of. Although this may possibly be so, Kattrin wants to get married and have kids desperately when peace lastly comes and she desires to be beautiful like Yvette. As a result, Brecht describes Kattrin placing on Yvette’s red footwear and walking about like Yvette, due to the fact she admires her beauty and her potential to get males.

Kattrin is incapable of speaking but it does not imply that she is not aware of what life genuinely is. She knows that she have to be stunning if she desires a husband and when she gets hurt by the soldiers and have to put on an eye patch, she completely conscious of the consequences that come with it her dreams of obtaining married may be more than. In all, she is conscious of life and just due to the fact she is mute does not mean she is dumb.

Kattrin’s muteness does not cease her from getting involved in the war. At the finish of the play, Kattrin is left alone with the wagon and peasants have come and started to pray. Kattrin intervenes to protect the burning city in front of her, by climbing a tree and beating a drum that was in her apron as loud as she can she acts in a courageous manner being aware of the consequences coming for her are deadly. Even though the peasants are busy worrying about safeguarding their farm, Kattrin is prepared to sacrifice her personal life more than the wagon and any materialistic belongings. The peasants as properly as the soldiers call for her to be quiet and they all threaten to shoot her and destroy the wagon, but that does not cease Kattrin from drumming. Sooner or later Kattrin is shot down by a single of the soldiers but she was shot down by committing a brave act and not acting as a coward.

Kattrin is a brave character all through Mother Courage and Her Kids and Brecht opens the readers to realize far more about her function and why she behaves the way she does. Kattrin’s mute function does not quit her from generating noise and doing what she can to protect the loved ones nonetheless, her mute part is what causes her to die in the finish. Her mute part impacts several of the other characters badly such as Eilif and Swiss Cheese. Though Kattrin was the mute character she is also the most conscious of every little thing being taken place in the war, even the items that Mother Courage could be oblivious to. Though Kattrin is brave and does not allow her muteness stop her from performing essential actions, the actions she tries to inform for others to be conscious of do not aid her and her muteness ends up obtaining in the way for her to defend her personal life as well as her brothers.