Marxist Reading of Bertold Brecht’s Play The Caucasian Chalk Circle

“Behaviour is guided by extant exigencies and biological needs, and actors formulate a strategy of effectively modifying empirical reality in their own interests.”

Many communist writers of the 20th century reacted towards the tragic dimension of revolutionary violence, sacrifice, and social injustice in a serious mode. Nevertheless, Brecht's works were exceptional, his technique of dealing with these issues comically leaves a deep impression on the audience to anticipate in the wave that demands the need to intervene and change the world. In 1926, Bertolt Brecht's first impression with marxism philosophy evolved from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels's work that he studied systematically from Karl Korsch as his teacher. As he says, 'It was only when I read Lenin's State and Revolution and then Marx's Kapital that I understood, philosophically, where I stood'.

Korch had originally been a member of the German communist party but was expelled in 1926 due to his opposition to their interpretation of the Marxist theory. He perceived their interpretation of Marx's theoretical and philosophical framework as vulgarization, manipulating Marx's original conception of materialism for their political benefits. From his viewpoint, Lenin and Stalin distorted the Marxist dialectics to cruel version of materialistic vendetta and subordinated the complexities for the very specific interest of the party. But, Brecht blindly didn't follow Korch's stand, he found few of Lenin and Stalin principles necessary for a social revolution within the existing structure of society.

In Bertolt Brecht's play, Life of Galileo, Brecht envision the society witnessing the bourgeoisie form of revolution supported by ideological apparatus. State apparatus plays a pivotal role in protecting the hegemony of dominant class ideology. To eliminate the existential anxiety, an individual align themselves with the state and ruling class interest that makes a utopian promise to incorporate the interest of subaltern class as well in the political dynamics.

The two principal features of Marxism commonly found in Brecht's works are the empirical method of achieving correctness and the dialectical form of thinking. By using songs in his plays, Brecht draws two parallel realities that don't conventionally follow the ideal parameters of moral and emotional deficiencies as a measuring scale used to reach the ultimate destination called truth underpinned in the obvious horrors of reality. In these songs, Brecht interpolates the foreseeable changes coming in the larger picture of reality based on the bourgeoisie notion of science and truth.

The song of four generals, in act two titled The Fight into the Northern Mountains, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, illustrates the lyrical beauty underpinned in the scientific investigation of victory based on Marxist tool of investigating human behavior; in spite of all the complexities associated with the existing condition, this song praises how bravely under severe opposition Joseph Stalin attempted to establish Stalinist socialism in Russia :

'Four generals

Set out for Iran.

With the first one, war did not agree.

The second never won a victory

For the third the weather never was right.

Four the fourth the men would never fight.

Four generals

And not a single man!

Sosso Robakidse

Went marching to Iran

With him the war did so agree

He soon had won a victory.

For him, the weather was always right.

For him, the men would always fight

Sosso Robakidse,

He is our man!'

In the late 1920s, Joseph Stalin introduced the rapid industrial development, that caused the class war in Russia declared claiming in the best interest of poor and Russian agriculture collectivized to wipe of egalitarian goals of Bolshevik Revolution. The Stalinist socialism provided fertile ground to the urban industry, in spite of considerable rural opposition. After the death of Joseph Stalin, Brecht replaced the Russian names in the play with Georgian name. This song pays homage to Joseph Stalin and Georgia was his native country. Sosso is Georgian name for Joe, was Stalin’s nickname when he was a child. Without Stalin's support, Brecht wouldn’t have survived as both a Marxist and a poet who wanted to change the world.

Brecht illustrated his psychological perception of the marxism and communist viewpoint fluidly. In his plays, he establishes a dichotomous relationship between an individual (identity conceived as 'I')and the formulation of the 'unity', manipulated by capitalist means of production to progress.

Brecht's plays structural foundations and the comical exchange of dialogue exposes the conflict between what is and what should be; between subject's acts and thoughts and the harsh reality imposed upon them.

The Caucasian Chalk Circle's prologue begins with the dispute over land, set in the Russian province of Georgia, a modern society meeting between the delegates of two Soviet collective farms arguing about their respective rights to a piece of land. The prologue elucidates collective class struggle. The goat-raising Kolchos “Galinsk” had been evacuated from the valley by a government order when Hitler’s armies were advancing. After the Nazis have been expelled the Kolchos plans to move back, because the peasants are attached to their old homeland and because their goats prefer the grass there:

“Old Man, right: Because you can’t like it. Because it’s not what it was in the old days. And why not? Because our goats don’t like the new grass. The grazing land over there is no good,even the smell of morning in the morning. (several people laugh.) Please put that in your report.”

Members of the neighboring, fruit-growing Kolchos “Rosa Luxemburg” had defended the land as guerillas in the surrounding mountains. In order to stop the enemy they developed a plan for rebuilding the village after the war so it would be larger and more productive. Included in the plan was an irrigation project to develop new vineyards. The project would not pay, however, unless the disputed valley could also be used for his purpose.

In discussion conducted by experts from the capital, the arguments of common sense prevail over those of love for the homeland, because one must rather regard a tact of land as a tool with which something useful is produced. The delegates of “Galinsk” are reluctant to give up their former home. But they realize the practicality of the proposals, and furthermore in their new home they will be given state aid to assist them in the breeding of horses.

In the middle of this discussion, Brecht invented a fable (Grusha) that struggles to align itself in the territory of moral and spiritual truth, because of its socio-political dynamics are offspring of capitalism. Brecht skillfully through his dramatic technique alienated the effect of external reality that doesn't allow each class to satisfy their needs equally and at the same time shows how it impacts the individual and how he or she constantly tries to cope with external reality to live in cooperation with external reality, based on scientific inquiry of truth. For the characters in Brecht's world, public Cooperation is the paramount lense of seeing the sense of justice and defining the conception of truth. This play is a parable showing how in barbaric societies judicial decisions can only be arrived at by chance.

Brecht’s emerging new humanity has not thrown off the image of the child as property, as an object of intervention, as a social problem rather than a social participant. Brecht denies Michael to narrate the realities of their lives. The judgment was given Azdak in the play almost replica of Solomon's judgment, at one level it may subvert dominant societal ideologies(the blood tie), but on another (the non-personhood of children) it nourishes them. The judgment is, however, noteworthy for its recognition of responsibility.

The difference between the claims of Grusha and the Governor’s wife is that Grusha understood the moral responsibilities of an adult towards a helpless child, while the Governor’s Wife talks of her rights to her child and the significance of the decision to her retention of property. Through this judgment, we observe the transcending of class relations in a humanistic future. Azdak’s judicial reign valued Grusha’s social maternity as a reward earned by her labor and protecting the child (a form of property) from the danger of iron shirts. It is also a sign of a potential coming into existence of a new set of human relations.

Azdak in the play represents the most “positive hero”, he expounds Brecht’s ideas on justice, defends the underdog against powerful,redistributes wealth by taking from the rich and giving to the poor, all wealth is dishonestly acquired. Yet he can hardly be proposed as a model, and his “positive” traits are incidental to his general portrait which, far from corresponding to the image of socialist hero, displays many features suitable for the traditional villain. For in spite of replicating solomon Judgement in Grusha’s case, he openly asked for a bribe to deliver judgement in her favour, however in the end Simon paid to Azdak in order make settlement and label Michael as legally recognised son of Grusha.

In conclusion, the contrary nature of the two decisions, in the dispute over the valley and the story of the chalk circle, must find expression, among other things, in the fact that in the latter an exceptional case from legendary tradition is reported, in the former a regular case. For the new manner of not stating the law, but arriving at sensible decisions determined by the situation, is not restricted to this one example in the socialist organization of society, whereas the determination of the right in the chalk circle story is absolutely bound up with the existence of Azdak and the time of his service as judge, which again is dependent on the brief duration of the general disorder in the land.

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