Major Barbara Themes

Morality is a huge topic for the play's characters; every time you turn around, someone is getting all philosophical about the difference between right and wrong—and usually getting ruffled about...

There's a lot of interesting "battle of the sexes" stuff going on in this play. When we first meet the characters, Lady Brit clearly rules the roost, which seems a bit unorthodox given the time per...

In this play, our protagonist, Andrew Undershaft, makes weapons for a living and sells them to the highest bidder (regardless of whether they're friends or foes), and his family has a big problem w...

In this play (as in life), money and the desire for it are pretty important motivators. Whether Barbara or her mother are happy about it, wealth and money are crucial to their objectives and overal...

Given that we have a character named Lady Britomart, you know from the get-go that discussions of class and society with a capital "S" are going to be part of the mix. Lady B fancies that she's not...

Well, one thing's for sure: love him or hate him, Andrew Undershaft really tries to avoid being a hypocrite. Sure, his morals seem a bit topsy turvy to the other characters (and maybe to the reader...

The whole idea that the meek will inherit the earth is not part of Andrew Undershaft's philosophy—he's all about power and the things that get it for you (like money and weapons). Hey, there's a...

Barbara is a Major in the Salvation Army, and she remains fervently religious and devoted to the cause of conversion for most of the play. However, her father pits his own wacky set of morals and p...