{"id":46,"date":"2012-06-18T19:57:53","date_gmt":"2012-06-18T19:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/brecht\/?page_id=46"},"modified":"2012-06-27T20:04:20","modified_gmt":"2012-06-27T20:04:20","slug":"about-a-mans-a-man","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/brecht\/about-a-mans-a-man\/","title":{"rendered":"About A Man’s A Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

Performed for the first time in 1926 in Darmstadt, Germany, Brecht\u2019s A Man\u2019s A Man<\/em> (Mann ist Mann<\/em>) is representative of his early works written while he lived in Berlin.\u00a0 During the several years following World War I, the young Brecht threw himself into the \u201cvoid of total permissiveness\u201d of adulthood in big-city Berlin and began to study Marxism (Esslin 2090<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Brecht\u2019s turn to a political movement that emphasized social change influenced his creative vision. \u00a0A Man\u2019s A Man<\/em> explores the social factors in the transformation of Galy Gay, an Irishman living in a fictional British colony, from ordinary civilian to bloodthirsty machine gunner.\u00a0 The play not only reflects Brecht\u2019s blossoming interest in communism and his involvement in the intellectual struggles of the Weimar Republic, but also a cautious optimism about the future \u2013 or at least an acceptance of the inevitable mechanization of man in an age of rapid technological change. \u201cThe world is a dangerous place,\u201d says Brecht, warning that:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u00a0can\u00a0do\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0human\u00a0being\u00a0what\u00a0you\u00a0will.\r\nTake\u00a0him\u00a0apart\u00a0like\u00a0a\u00a0car,\u00a0rebuild\u00a0him\u00a0bit\u00a0by\u00a0bit\u2014\r\nAs\u00a0you\u00a0will\u00a0see,\u00a0he\u00a0has\u00a0nothing\u00a0to\u00a0lose\u00a0by\u00a0it.\u201d<\/pre>\n
A Man\u2019s a Man<\/em> differs in some respects from Brecht\u2019s other plays written around the same time. In his ordinariness, Galy Gay distinguishes himself from Brecht\u2019s other heroes, who might be described as \u201cromantic\u201d and \u201cchaotic\u201d individualists such as Mac the Knife from Brecht\u2019s 1927 play Threepenny Opera<\/em>.\u00a0 Compared to Brecht\u2019s other works, A Man\u2019s a Man<\/em> displays a more intellectual and brusque writing style (\u201cBertolt Brecht,\u201d Hill 53).<\/p>\n
While works of literature can be read and understood in many contexts, it is nonetheless important to consider an author\u2019s particular situation when attempting to interpret his works.\u00a0 As Martin Esslin reminds us, \u201cto understand Brecht one must see him against his background: the background of his language and its culture and literature, the background of the history of his times, the background of the theater against which he rebelled, the background of Marxist theory and Marxist politics\u201d (2091<\/a>).\u00a0 Therefore, while watching or reading the play, we invite you to interpret the play\u2019s message for yourself, but also to ponder what its message might have meant for Brecht\u2019s contemporary audience.\u00a0 Which questions does it raise for different audiences, different individuals, and different cultures about war, identity, and human fungibility?<\/p>\n
Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n