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Pygmalion

Cognotes offers in-depth help with George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion

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Analysis of Major Characters

Themes and Analysis

Summary and Analysis

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Themes and Analysis

Social Class Separations/Distinctions

The characters within Pygmalion are split into three main classes: upper, middle, and poor. There are distinct characters from these three classes that embody the meaning of these social differences. The first one, lower class (or the poor) is shown by the main character; Eliza Doolittle (or Liza). She starts out in the story as a poor girl selling flowers on the corner of the street. The book describes her as “…not at all a romantic figure…hair needs washing rather badly…wears a shoddy black coat…boots are much the worse for wear…no doubt as clean as she can afford to be; but compared to the ladies she is very dirty.” This provides an image of just how needy and poor she is. She is shown to sell flowers on the curb of the street to rich people- the Eynsford-Hills, in fact, in the beginning of the play. Clara, the daughter, says, “do nothing of the sort, mother. The idea!” when Liza asks money for the flowers that Freddy made her drop onto the ground. This is the first encounter we see of the lower and upper class. The powers of the higher class are emphasized as Eliza goes to Wimpole Street to request lessons from Higgins (from the description of his home in the play). The middle class is mostly depicted by Mrs. Pearce throughout the play and Alfred Doolittle towards the end of the book. He isn’t rich like Higgins, but contrasted with his daughter’s status in the beginning, he is much better off with more riches and with that, more responsibilities.

Feminist Ideas

This is a minor theme branching out of class distinction. There are different ideas about women in each and every social class- for example; the lower class women must work. They are unable to do anything but work. Middle class women may work, may stay at home. Upper class women, however, are so delicate that the only thing they could possibly venture to give is their bodies (ie. Prostitution). Also, their speech is different. While lower class women may speak as they please, it is “unladylike” for women of the upper class to say words such as “bloody…rotters…filthy and beastly.” “…Clara is so down on me if I am not positively reeking with the latest slang.”


Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature- Higgins vs. Eliza

The main plot of Pygmalion revolves around social classes and the bet Higgins makes with Pickering that he can “turn [Eliza] into a duchess.” That is to say, he is taking an ordinary, poor girl in the lower class and turning her into an elite member of the upper class. This means that he is changing her natural speech, behavior, and her natural lifestyle and way of life (man vs. nature). Higgins says, “But you have no idea how frightfully interesting it is to take a human being and change her into a quite different human being by creating a new speech for her…” which implies the theme of man vs. nature. He is also going against the norms of the distinction between classes on the social ladder (man vs. man).


Males vs. Female

Throughout the play and the entire time Higgins and Pickering were “experimenting” with Eliza, they thought that it was a project, merely play for amusement and a way to show skill and profession. However, the two strong, independent women in the book (Mrs. Pearce and Mrs. Higgins), see things in a different view. They both ask of Eliza’s future “after [they’re] done with her,” but both times, they do not receive an answer. The males are ignorant of the consequences of their actions while the females appear to be the ones thinking of everything else- everything the men aren’t- Mrs. Higgins says, “…you two infinitely stupid male creatures: the problem of what is to be done with her afterwards.” This shows them to be more careful, critical, and well-rounded in thought than the men, their thought patterns and the way they handle situations to be different. This again shows up when Eliza confronts Higgins after winning his bet about her future, showing once more the differences between the two genders.