Draw a Comparison Between Raina And Louka.

Answer

Draw a comparison between Raina and Louka in “Arms and the Man.”

or discuss  compare and  contrast  between Raina and Louka in “Arms and the Man,” 

G.B. Shaw (1856-1950) is as genius as William Shakespeare (1564-1616) in respect of creating lady characters in his plays. In one of his famous plays “Arms and the Man,” published in 1894, Raina and Louka are such characters who possess major significance in the galaxy of English drama. They are distinct from each other in many aspects.

Birth: Raina belongs to an upper-class Bulgarian family, and she is the only affectionate daughter of Major Petkoff. On the other hand, Louka belongs to a working family and is Raina’s maid.

Beauty and Appearance: Both Raina and Louka are beautiful and have very beautiful physical appearances, but they are somehow different. At the very outset of the play, the playwright compares Raina’s beauty with nature. On the other hand, Raina’s fiance, Sergius, flirts with Louka, stirred by her beauty.

Intelligence: Regarding intelligence, they are different in their way of life. Louka is subservient to Raina, but with her intelligence, she aims to find a good marriage to ensure her financial security and social stature. Louka has to satisfy all the characters of the drama to secure her aristocratic desire. Louka strikes Sergius’ bravery with her witty comment.

I would marry the man I loved, which no other queen in Europe has the courage to do. – Louka, Act 3, Section 2

Here, Louka calls Sergius on his lack of bravery. She says she would marry the man she loved no matter how far beneath her his social status might be.

Presence of Mind: Raina has a lack of presence of mind, which is evident by the bedroom act of the drama when she is exploited by the realist man of the drama, Bluntschli, who snatches away her nightdress. On the contrary, Louka’s observation proves that she is a woman of shrewd intelligence and presence of mind. There was a pistol without a cartridge in front of the Russian soldiers in Raina’s bedroom. Nobody could notice it, but Louka’s eyes looked like falcons.

Concept of War: Raina has a romantic concept of war and is obsessed with Sergius’ heroism. 

Some soldiers, I know, are afraid of death.” – Raina, Act 1, Section 1

Raina’s comment about heroism reflects her romantic attitude about war and heroism. Her concept of war is contrary to the play’s message that war is all about suffering, destruction, and futility. On the other hand, Louka is a foil to Raina as we do not get any romantic attitude from Louka about war.

Concept of Marriage and Love: Raina believes in a higher concept of love. She lives in an ideal world and dreams of a perfect love that would make her conjugal life perfect. However, her concept collapses when she sees Sergius shamelessly flirting with her maid, Louka.

Louka’s concept of love and marriage is pragmatic. She is ambitious about marrying someone who is not a working-class man. She believes in the sensational controlling power of love which is why the Byronic Hero Sergius is crazy for Louka.

Moreover, Louka is a realist about love and marriage. She comments about Raina and Sergius’ manner and marks their love as fake.

I know the difference between the sort of manner you and she put on before one another and the real manner. – Louka, Act 2, Section 1

Twist in Both of Them: By the end of the drama, when Sergius chooses Louka as his life partner, Raina remains unmoved as she is already engaged with his dream man, Chocolate Cream Soldier Bluntschli. Raina expresses her love for Bluntschli,

Do you know, you are the first man I ever met who did not take me seriously? – Raina, Act 3, Section 1

On the other hand, Louka is more mischievous. She informs Sergius that Raina flirts with Bluntschli in his absence as he flirts with her. Now, the plot of the drama gets twisted. All the drama’s characters cannot feel that, even for a moment, the marriage candidates will be reversed. Thus, Raina and Louka are similar but difference in their activities.

To conclude, Raina and Louka are the tokens of the females of the world. Through their character, Shaw has been able to show that marital happiness does not depend on status, rather it is a matter of understanding and realization.