against heavy machine guns This charge was foolish and only succeeded because the enemy had the wrong ammunition Again Bluntschli shatters the romantic ideals of patriotism and heroism by revealing that he is just a professional soldier He says I am a Swiss fighting merely as a professional soldier I joined Servia because it came first on the road from Switzerland Shaw uses Bluntschli to show that war is less about noble acts of bravery and more about staying alive Raina Some soldiers I know are afraid of death The Man Bluntschli All of them dear lady all of them believe me It is our duty to live as long as we can Soldiers are not necessarily heroic Bluntschli reveals Nine soldiers out of ten are born fools Sergius A Ridiculous Figure At the beginning Sergius seems to embody the romantic ideal of a war hero a brave man However gradually he is revealed as a ridiculous figure Shaw mocks the idea of heroism in war through Sergius s remark Soldiering is the coward's art of attacking mercilessly when you are strong and keeping out of harm's way when you are weak Act This remark exposes the hypocrisy and futility of war soldiers fight when they have the advantage and avoid conflict when they are vulnerable Critique of Love and Marriage In the beginning Raina and Sergius represent the ideal of romantic love Raina believes she is deeply in love with Sergius She calls him her soul s hero Both act as if their love is perfect Sergius also plays the role of the noble lover He refers to Raina as his queen Raina declares in Act I think we two have found the higher love However their love is based on unrealistic ideals rather than genuine feelings As the play unfolds it becomes clear that Raina and Sergius are pretending Raina gradually develops a relationship with Bluntschli drawn to his personality and practical views On the other hand Sergius is drawn to Louka s beauty Real Love in the Play Bluntschli offers a different view of love He values honesty and simplicity In contrast to Sergius Bluntschli s interactions with Raina are genuine and free from pretension By the end of the play Raina realizes that she feels more comfortable with Bluntschli who loves her for who she is Critique of Social Class Shaw uses the character of Louka to challenge class divisions Louka a servant refuses to accept her lower status She boldly questions the idea that people should be judged based on their birth or wealth She scolds Nicola the servant of the Petkoff house in the following manner You have the soul of a servant Nicola To wrap up as a problem play Arms and the Man raises questions about the popular ideals of love marriage war and social class Shaw s ability to address serious issues while keeping the audience entertained makes it a successful problem play