United States society operates based on money and violence. Money is used to satisfy basic expense purchases such as: water, food, clothes, and shelter. Also, money can serve as a payment for goods and services and be used to pay off liabilities. Violence is a serious issue that is a growing problem, taking innocent lives daily. Violence has been apart of history for many centuries and it is difficult to understand why numerous wars are still occurring today. History shows that lives have been lost for fighting, that leads to little impact on the resolution of the war.
In Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara, Shaw presents the idea of “Money and Gunpowder,” which encompasses the entirety of the play. Living happy is only achieved through acquiring money and having enough power to be a master (94). Having money enables you to obtain the power of respect and control. It can buy a person anything they want, including relationships. Women are always interested in wealthy men to live a luxurious life. Money can be great, however if not careful, theft could occur and can leave the wealthy individual with nothing. Weapons can be used in many ways to help contain order and can protect a person’s life. However, weapons can be a problem because a person can feel too powerful owning a weapon and can harm others in a negative way. Money and Weapons are a means of maintaining salvation.
In Major Barbara, the opening scene involves Lady Britomart informing her son Stephen that he is responsible enough to handle the affairs of the family. Both of Lady Britomarts daughters will be married, however her money cannot support every household. The first sister Sarah’s fiancé, Lomax, will obtain a trust fund at the age of 35. The other sister Barbara is a member of the Salvation Army and is together with a man named Adolphus Cusins. The family will meet with the father and military industrialist, Andrew Undershaft, who is particularly wealthy. Stephen is well aware of how wealthy his father is. When reading a newspaper, he always sees his father’s weapons names. “The Undershaft torpedo! The Undershaft quick firers! The Undershaft ten inch! The Undershaft disappearing rampart gun!” (55). Undershaft has control of Europe because of the Undershaft and Lazarus firm. He is “Above the law” (55).
Britomart divorced Undershaft because he decided to disinherit his son to find another person to obtain his inheritance. Britomart announces Undershafts arrival shall be shortly, and Barbara has no objection stating, “My father has a soul to be saved like anybody else” (63). I believe Barbara feels that her father’s work is evil. Her father manufacturing weapons that are used to hurt others is something that she is not in favor of. Barbara, being a Major in the Salvation Army, has the ultimate goal of redeeming mankind, which isn’t murdering others. Undershaft arrives in the household and greets everyone apart from his son. He begins conversing with his daughter Barbara and asks her how the work at the Salvation Army is going. Undershaft compares his place of work to the Salvation Army’s motto “Blood and Fire” (69). The Salvation Army’s motto “Blood and Fire” refers to the blood of Jesus on the cross and the fire signifying the Holy Spirit. I feel that the Salvation Army motto analogy to the firm signifies that Undershafts production of weapons is saving mankind from harm and keeping peace. Jesus sacrificed his blood for our salvation. Barbara lets her father know that he can come and see the Salvations Army’s work. Lomax is shocked and says salvation is not a term Undershaft usually associates with. Lomax is merciful after his comment by saying that when a war is destructive, weaponries that Undershaft creates ends wars fast. However, Undershaft quickly answers that the more destructive a war is, the more captivating it is. Barbara and Undershaft create a deal, Barbara will visit his factory building and Undershaft will go the Salvation Army shelter. The purpose of this deal is an attempt for each to transform the other to their cause. Undershaft arrives in the Shelter and later has a conversation with Cusins. Cusins asks into the faith of Undershaft and he responds that his “religion, the two things necessary to salvation are Money and Gunpowder” (93). After stating this, Cusins is filled with questions. He asks, “if there is room in your religion for honor, justice, truth, love mercy…?” (93). Undershaft responds that these are bonuses of living a rich and safe life. If you must choose between those virtues or money and gunpowder, choose the money and gunpowder. With no money and gunpowder, an individual cannot buy virtues.
The government controls money in different ways such as by lending money to homebuyers and making big profit. For example, the bank lends a client $68,000 to purchase a home or business, at the end of a 30 year loan the person will end up paying $260,000 to the bank. The bank will gain a big percentage of interest charges that is not added to the principal of the loan. The money the borrower must pay at the end of the loan is in reality paying for 4 houses, yet the person only ends up owning one. The interest charges for the borrower are taken out of circulation. Therefore, the lender gains control of the money and the borrower becomes a servant. I think its wrong that banks or the government loans people money when they are in need of to money purchase a house, car, and businesses take advantage when people are most vulnerable. There are people that are contributing donations to charities made from drug trafficking. For example, the Argentina soccer player Lionel Messi was being investigated that he was involved in laundering international money and facilitating toward the superstar’s charity soccer games. Three years ago, Messi was under suspicion of laundering profits from transnational drug trafficking and donating to his charity soccer game. The investigators believe there was a transaction of selling row tickets that were zero and using dirty cash to purchase tickets that never existed. In addition, the people that organized the soccer event would allow people to enter the gate free of charge in order to make it appear increase in people attending the game. The money that was being laundered would be used for the superstar’s charity that he donated to. I believe it’s not ethical to accept “dirty money” that has been profited from drug trafficking. It seems suspicious that the reason why the charity organizations are receiving donations would not question the motive of the giver. The giver may be donating the money as a way to ask forgiveness to society for their acts or participation in breaking the law, as well as harming others by causing a drug addiction. I think if charitable organizations accept this money they are encouraging delinquents to continue breaking the law. Additionally, the charities should turn down any monetary money that has been donated by any criminal acts. The lawbreakers need to take responsibility and understand that donating to these charities will not make it right because its still “dirty money.” After all, the word charity implies the act of good will and not being selfish and being sensitive to the needs of others. Therefore, if dirty money were used as a donation it would be considered wrong to accept it because it would be against societies fundamentals beliefs and values. Criminals donating dirty money to charity will not be a salvation to the crimes they committed. By law, each individual is still responsible for the crimes they did. In my opinion, people are able to secure their freedom in society. For example, being able to afford a top class lawyer to represent the individual during trial could keep one safe away from prison. On the opposite side of the spectrum, not being able to afford a lawyer will cause the state to appoint one a free public defense lawyer, which may not be as experienced or have the knowledge to defend the case better. In 2011, a millionaire murdered two tourists after his car went over the curb and killed the victims. The man evaded the scene and wasn’t truthful to law enforcement about who the driver was during the incident. He ended up paying restitution to the victim’s families and settled the case by not going to jail. He didn’t even apologize to the families for killing their loved ones. To make the situation worse about this case, the man had more than 50 traffic violations, including hitting a police officer with his vehicle and leaving the scene. If this scenario happened to an ordinary person, he would be serving 10 years in prison for vehicular homicide. The government has a way of controlling our society. For example, law enforcement controls weapons that they consider to be “non Lethal” and can be used for people that are not armed, such as on the streets or to control crowds with riots, protecting the countries borders. The police or military guards will use tear gas or pepper spray on the crowds to control society and maintain order. The Pentagon’s military uses a heavy duty weapon called The Active Denial System that is similar to a microwave oven, its open and facilitates a beam with electromagnetic radiation that has potential to cause second and third degree burn the skin of a human over 100 degrees that stand in its way. The results can be life threatening or injury with permanent results. The weapon can be used to torture people and I believe it is morally unethical that the Pentagon uses these tools as a way to control society. The sacraments of money and gunpowder involve the “religion of wrongness” according to Lady Britomart and the millionaire religion. For religion, God is known to be the person in power. However, according to Undershaft, the person who is the most powerful is the Military Industrialist. I believe the individuals who have the resources to destroy society and the people who protect civilians and are able to organize the specific ways they would like the universe to become. Reorganizing the way one would like their society to be I feel is reaching the point of salvation. In religion, the main idea is being “saved” from our sins. To Undershaft, redemption from illness, poverty, and starvation is the concern. Barbara contrasts Undershafts character because her power comes from her own “inspiration” to redeem mankind through the Salvation Army. Undershafts power is very overwhelming and he plans to buy the Salvation Army.
Cusins discusses that Barbara and himself “love the common people” (97). Undershaft feels that the “poor should see their poverty as a blessing” (97). Without the people who have the money and power, the individuals suffering from poverty and their children would be unable to rise. Charities such as American Red Cross, Save the Children, and Aid for Africa, send millions of dollars in food and medical supplies for the inhabitants of Africa. Without these resources, most of the population would not survive because they are not able to provide for themselves and the government does not have the financial aid to provide these individuals. If it weren’t for the monetary contributions being given by generous contributors, people in third world countries would be beyond hopeless. After the public fundraiser, Undershaft offers to donate as the contributions are being counted. Barbara does not allow him to donate because the money that he is offering is tainted with murdered blood and he cannot purchase a means of salvation. During the winter, times at the shelter are becoming challenging. Many people have no jobs and are hungry. As a result of minimal funding the shelter has to continue operations, it will close if funds aren’t found soon. As a result of the financial crisis, Barbara asks Cusins to create a donation message in the newspaper for desperation.
The Salvation Army commissioner announces to everyone that the Lord Saxmundham will donate five thousand dollars if five others match his donation. Undershaft would like to help match the donation. If the Salvation Army accepts Undershafts money, is this morally wrong? Do they truly know what was sacrificed to produce this money? Even knowing that human lives were lost as a result of the creation of this money, does an organization put aside these thoughts and accept it? Cusins begins to praise Undershaft and this is the beginning indication of him joining Undershafts cause. Cusins will become a follower of Undershaft because he begins to see the power in the Salvation Army that Undershaft has. The purchase of the Salvation Army illustrates that salvation is reliant on those who own “Money and Gunpowder”. There is a celebration and in the streets, Cusins yells the words “Money and Gunpowder.” Barbara, screams the phrase “My God: why hast though forsaken me,” which is a biblical reference in Matthew 27:46, when Jesus was calling for God on the cross (111). In Act 3, the family visits Undershafts factory. Undershaft asks Barbara to let Cusins know what power really means. Barbara acknowledges she believed herself in God’s power, but her father showed her that she was in the power of “Bodger and Undershaft”. Barbara and Cusins speak alone. Although Cusins does not have any remorse on selling his soul for actuality and for power, he wants to create a world power to provide a control "simple enough for common men to use yet strong enough to force the intellectual oligarchy to use its genius for the general good" (150). Barbara asks Cusins to stay with her. Now she realizes the souls that have been rescued by her father's group and has decided to go back to the Army with a new perspective.
Money can be powerful enough to change a person’s behavior and give a person a sense of higher power. Money can lead to greed, control, love and even respect, confidence, gaining self-esteem, as well as affording education. Money is a requirement in every day life. On the contrary, money can be a way of people evading responsibility. Having money can change everything, for example, OJ Simpson was able to afford a great team of attorneys to represent him during a murder case. However, a normal person would less likely be found innocent because they would not be able to afford to pay so many attorneys to pay for defense. When a wealthy person is tossed with a problem, they will use money as a way to resolve or fix it. The wealthy individual will get a slap on the hand and not learn their lesson on what was done wrong. Weapons are a way of making peace and saving people from harm as well as maintaining order. Weapons can harm people in a negative way by feeling powerful and when a gun falls in the hands of the wrong person the consequence can be fatal. Money and Weapons are a means of maintaining salvation.