True Morality Anonymous 12th Grade

In Major Barbara, one’s religion is equated to their sense of morality, as well as their belief system. The play features a number of characters, each with strong and often conflicting convictions. These faiths shape the characters’ courses of actions throughout the play, defining them as separate, unique, and incredibly distinct characters with separate, unique, and incredibly distinct beliefs. Major Barbara shows that “there is only one true morality for every man; but every man has not the same true morality.”

Though not a very prominent character, Lady Britomart has a distinct belief system that is very conventional. Lady Britomart has a firm grasp on her ideas of gender roles, accepting that “a woman has to bring up her children; and that means to restrain them, to deny them things they want, to do all the unpleasant things.” Additionally, she expects her son Stephen to take control of household matters, reminding him that he “[is] a grown-up man, and that [she is] only a woman.” She strongly believes in inherited privilege, telling Undershaft that naming Stephen as his heir “is a question of duty.” Lady Britomart’s sense of right and wrong are based on outside perceptions. She claims that she “really cannot bear an...