Major Barbara Introductions

The conflict between idealism and realism in George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara is depicted by the clash between Andrew Undershaft’s viewpoints and those of his family members who act as a microcosm of the society of their time.


Being the cofounder of the Fabian Society, a social institution aimed at ameliorating the life of the Britons, Shaw was against the idealistic tendencies which negated the realistic portrayal of family life.

He intended to shatter the idealistic foundation of the so-called societal purity institutions like the Salvation Army which were gaining political significance and public support.



...Shaw's preference for realistic discourse rather than idealistic discourse in Major Barbara can be likened to the superiority of Andrew Undershaft's Cannons Trade to Barbara Undershaft's Salvation Army.

Andrew Undershaft, the special anti-idealist Shavian character, believes that being a pauper is a crime and, as a result, poverty must be eradicated from the society. Andrew's unique and unconventional religion is “money and gunpowder”. He buys the Salvation Army in the façade of donating money to the army to show that money is power.

He is a foundling and it is incumbent on him to search for a foundling so as to follow the tradition of the Trade and transfer its leadership to him. On the other hand, Barbara Undershaft is a major in the Salvation Army and tries to save the souls of the poor without paying any attention to their material needs. The present research concludes that Major Barbara best represents Shaw's philosophy in which the reality and the internal conflicts of our lives are vivified.

International Journal of Management and Humanity Sciences. Vol., 4 (1), 4536-4540, 2015 Available online at http://www.ijmhsjournal.com ISSN 2322-424X©2015