Scene 12 Summary

Mother Courage sings a lullaby over Kattrin's body, while the peasants beg her to leave. They are afraid the soldiers will blame them for harboring Kattrin and her mother. Finally, Mother Courage leaves money for a burial and pulls her cart, alone, behind a retreating regiment. Not knowing he is already dead, she hopes to see her son Eilif again.

Scene 12 Analysis

The playwright has used the cart in this play to symbolize capitalism and its dependence on war. The fact that Mother Courage still clings to her cart shows that she has learned nothing. Numerous times, she has said all she wants is to get through the war with her children alive. All of them are gone, and she doesn't even know it. Similarly, the playwright wants his audience to understand that there is no way to engage in war and protect...