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The Captain
The Parson is a local religious leader in a small town in Bavaria’s Fichtel Mountains. Unlike the rest of his town, he finds soup even in the war’s meanest days, which speaks to the church’s corruption. However, he shares his soup with Mother Courage and the Cook after they sing him a song about how religious virtue is useless (“The Song of the Wise and Good”). It’s unclear whether the Parson invites them inside because he agrees with their pessimistic views, because he doesn’t understand their song, or just because he pities them.
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The Parson Character Timeline in Mother Courage and Her Children
The timeline below shows where the character The Parson appears in Mother Courage and Her Children. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Scene 9
...Cook will soon return home. One gray morning, Mother Courage and the Cook wonder if the local Parson (minister) might share food with them. The Cook shows Mother Courage a letter from home,...
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The Parson ’s light turns on, and the Cook and Mother Courage sing “The Song of the...
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In fact, the Parson calls down to them, offering them soup. But the Cook again tells Mother Courage to...
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