Brecht's use of the Singer would be effective in making the audience taking an objective view to the play was successful due to the lack of emotion showed through Grusha and Simon's language to each other.
Grusha: God's blessing on Mr Soldier, and thank God that he's back safely.
Simon: They found better than me, so they didn't eat me, said the haddock.
Grusha: It took courage, said the servant boy. It took luck, said the hero.
Simon: How were things here? Did you endure the winter, were the neighbours considerate?
Grusha: The winter was rough enough, the neighbours were the neighbours, Simon.
This is an extract from the scene between Grusha and Simon upon Simon's return from the war.
The language used is indirect and is spoken in proverbs, making it clichéd and detaching the audience once again from the characters or any emotions. The language is very formal, considering that these two characters were previously engaged to be married. Grusha addresses Simon as "Mr Soldier" and he addresses her by her full name, Grusha Vachnadze, rather than just Grusha. Brecht has used this type of formal, indirect language between them in order to detach the audience from the characters, to prevent them from becoming emotionally involved in the play. The use of the Verfremdungs effect is also effective in this scene with the use of the singer, making the audience detached from the characters and creating a barrier. The purpose of this scene is to show the misunderstanding between the characters and to show the obstacles that their relationship has faced and also the obstacles that Grusha has faced, physically from rearing the child, going hungry and her epic journey and also emotionally, losing her fiancé and being forced into a loveless marriage in order to keep the child. Brecht has also used the character of the Singer to explain the characters' feelings in this scene and to speak the unspoken words and the subtext.
Singer: There was longing,
But there was no waiting.
The oath was broken.
Why? That was not told.
Hear what she thought,
But didn't say.
This causes the audience to think about the characters previous actions and the consequences they face because of those actions, all without becoming too attached and involved with their emotions, as he wanted the audience to sit back and judge the characters for their wrongs and to see and take the moral in the story.
There are elements of comedy to the play, I don't believe that Brecht meant for certain characters to be funny, just realistic, but
Corporal: Thickhead, you'll come to nothing. Your heart's not in this, that's why. Your boss notices that. It's in the details. There I was servicing the fat one the day before yesterday, you hold the husband down as I ordered you to, then you gave him one in the balls, but did you enjoy it, like a good soldier, or did you do it out of politeness? I've been watching you, thickhead. You're like a dry stick or a rattling can, you'll never rise in the ranks.
They go on a bit further in silence.
Don't imagine I don't know you're an obstinate donkey. Beat an order into you and you still won't follow it. That limp is to let me know you don't like footing it. You're only doing it because I sold the old horses - for a price I'd never get again. It won't be any use to you, it'll be all the worse for you. Sing.
To a more modern audience this is a comical speech from a corporal and one of his soldiers about not deserving to be in the army because he does not enjoy hurting people. The use of insults such as ”thickhead” and “obstinate donkey” are placed for entertainment value of the audience. Brecht uses this in order to keep the attention of the audience and break up the scenes that are more formal and use less clear emotion. The solider then goes on to sing for the commanding officer, this also provides entertainment for the audience as there is no real reason for the scene between the Soldier and the Corporal apart from to break up the longer more serious scenes and to set the scene and give a background for things that happen further on into the play.