Why was Swiss Cheese sentenced to death?
Mother Courage and Her Children is a notable literary work by Bertolt Brecht. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Mother Courage and Her Children.
Answer
Why was Swiss Cheese sentenced to death? [NU: 2022]
In “Mother Courage and Her Children” (1941), Swiss Cheese is the honest son of Mother Courage. He becomes a paymaster in the Protestant regiment. But honesty and war do not match. His actions with the cash box led to his capture and death.
Swiss Cheese’s Duty as Paymaster: The Protestant army makes Swiss Cheese a paymaster. Mother Courage proudly says,
“Don’t forget they made you paymaster because you’re honest.”
His job is to guard the regimental cash box. When the Catholics attack, Swiss Cheese hides the box. This loyalty shows his honesty, but it also puts him in danger.
Capture by the Catholics: The Catholics catch Swiss Cheese while he tries to protect the box. They demand the location of the money. But he refuses to speak. He shows faithfulness to his regiment. Religion and politics divide the war, and the Catholics see him as an enemy. His silence makes them angry. He is sentenced to death because he will not betray the Protestants.
Mother Courage’s Failed Bargain: Mother Courage runs to save him. She tries to arrange a ransom. But as a tradeswoman, she bargains too long. She delays, wanting to save a little money. While she wastes time, the Catholics shoot Swiss Cheese. His honesty and her hesitation together cause his tragic end.
Swiss Cheese is sentenced to death because he refuses to betray his regiment’s cash box. His honesty is his crime in the cruel logic of war. The Catholics kill him, and Mother Courage cannot save him. Brecht shows that war destroys even the loyal and the innocent.