In "Arms and the Man", Shaw's purpose is to demolish romantic idealism about war and love. The play attacks the romance of war as well as the romance of love.
Theme of War and Love:
Bluntschli is Shaw's
mouthpiece. He is a professional soldier and views war without illusion. It is
through him Shaw exposes the deception of war. Shaw does not glorify war. Bluntschli
tells Raina that all soldiers are afraid to die. He suggests that in a
battle-field chocolate is more real to an experienced soldier than cartridges.
Bluntschli discloses the romantic folly of Sergius's cavalry charge and accuses
him of 'unsoldierly soldiership.' In the opinion of Shaw, heroism, patriotism,
self-sacrifice--- all these are meaningless words. A soldier is just like an
ordinary man. War is his profession. A soldier is just like an ordinary man.
War is his profession. A soldier runs away from death when he finds it
convenient.
Bluntschli cures Raina
of the illusion that she has about war Raina no more thinks of war as a
romantic game. Sergius, the hero of the battle of Slivnitza, is also totally
disillusioned. He calls war a fraud', 'a hollow sham'. Sergius says that the
secret of successful soldiering lies in "the coward's art of attacking
mercilessly when you are strong and keeping out of harm 's way when you are
weak".
The play is also a
satire on the romance of love. Shaw achieves the purpose through the love
affair of Raina and Sergius. Sergius's romantic love for Raina comes into
collision with his real attraction for the maid-servant Louka, and at once his
idea of romantic love is shattered. Sergius revolts against what is called “higher
love”. Reality prevails over romance and Raina is drawn towards Bluntschli.
Shaw's Raina and Sergius finally get rid of their unreal conception of higher
love' and respond to the call of the realities of their lives. To Shaw love is
not an ecstasy nor a crude passion but a commonplace reality--- an actual human
relation.
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