In Arms and the Man, author George Bernard Shaw portrays women as both static and dynamic. He mostly shows women as being one of two distinct types: they are either romantic and naïve or experienced and cynical. However, the romantic character, Raina Petkoff, is dynamic and undergoes a substantial transformation. Through her experiences with the war and soldiers, she gains a more realistic attitude toward both life and love. In contrast, the cynical Louka does not change in terms of personality and outlook, though she improves her social situation.

As an elite, sheltered young woman, Raina has learned much of her idealistic attitude about war from her mother, Catherine. Raina’s love for her fiancé, Sergius, is associated with her notion of his heroism as a soldier. When her life is disrupted by Sergeant Bluntschli’s sudden appearance, she is forced to reconsider the validity of her perspective. Ultimately, she decides that the disillusioned deserter is right and that she loves him rather than Sergius.

Shaw shows class as an important component of the attitudes of Louka, the Petkoff family’s housekeeper. She is not swayed by patriotic ideals and does not believe that their country’s victory in the war would improve her circumstances. Rather, she aims to improve her own status, either through her own shrewd intelligence or making a good marriage.