The Good Woman of Setzuan Author:Bertolt Brecht Tells the story of Shen Te, a young woman forced into prostitution by poverty who is rewarded handsomely after opening her home to three visiting gods. Disproving their contention that no goodness still exists on earth, Shen Te is given a small business by the deities, and from there she struggles to work honestly and to provide for the needy, e... more »arning her the moniker, "the Angel of the Slums." After falling victim to unscrupulous neighbors and a dishonest lover, however, Shen Te is forced to create an alter-ego ? that of her business-savy cousin, Mr. Shui Ta. Where Shen Te is trusting, selfless, and naive, Shui Ta is fierce, manipulative, and efficient. As inevitably happens in Brecht's drama ? and, by extension, in our world ? the forces of capital and history eventually overwhelm Shen Te, and she is forced to surrender her goodness or starve:« less