song looks like fun but it hides danger Brecht makes the audience think trade and war are connected Eilif and the Fishwife s Warning Later the Commander praises Eilif for killing peasants and stealing oxen Eilif sings the song The fishwife and the Soldier In the song an old woman warns a soldier not to take risks But the soldier laughs and runs into danger Mother Courage also sings part of the song She then scolds her son Didn t I teach you to take care of yourself you Finnish devil you The story shows Eilif s bravery but also his foolishness The song teaches that bravery in war often leads to destruction Yvette s Song of Love in War In Scene Three Yvette Pottier sings The camp follower s song She tells her story of falling in love with a Dutch cook She sings Scarce seventeen was I when The foe came to our land She remembers how soldiers used her and left her Kattrin listens carefully Mother Courage warns her daughter not to fall in love with soldiers This story through song shows the harsh truth War destroys young women s lives Brecht uses Yvette s song to stop pity and show a lesson Religion and Fighting When the Catholics attack the Cook and the Chaplain sing Luther s Hymn A mighty fortress is our God The hymn is holy but it is sung while soldiers fight and kill At the same time Mother Courage says The trouble with Poland is the Poles The story becomes ironic Religion is used to cover up war and profit The hymn makes the audience think about how faith is twisted for bloodshed Brecht s purpose is clear don t just feel but judge Mother Courage s Sad Song of Warning At the end Mother Courage loses everything Eilif is executed Swiss Cheese is shot and Kattrin is killed She is left alone with her wagon Earlier she had sung a fortune-telling song with slips of paper She said So shall we all be torn asunder if we let ourselves get too deep into this war That warning becomes true In the final scene she sings again while pulling the wagon The story ends with her song This shows her courage but also her blindness Brecht makes the audience think about the war s cost The songs in Mother Courage and Her Children are part of the story They come in the wagon in Eilif s battle in Yvette s love in the Chaplain s hymn and in Mother Courage s last walk Songs tell about trade bravery love religion and loss They keep breaking the flow They stop emotions They teach lessons This is Brecht s epic theatre