Themes in Pygmalion

George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion explores several important social themes. He uses the story to challenge audience perceptions about class, identity, and gender roles in Victorian society.

1. Language and Social Class

• The Main Idea: Language is the primary barrier between social classes. It is not innate ability but how a person speaks that determines their social standing.
• In the Play: Professor Higgins believes that articulate speech is a divine gift. He demonstrates this by correctly identifying people's origins by their accents. He argues that Eliza's "kerbstone English" will keep her in the gutter, but by teaching her to speak properly, he can pass her off as a duchess.
• The Result: Eliza’s successful transformation at the ambassador’s party proves Higgins’ point: social placement can be learned. However, this comes at a cost. Eliza feels stuck between two worlds, belonging neither to her old life nor fully to her new one.

2. Transformation and Identity

• The Main Idea: True transformation goes beyond external changes in appearance and speech; it involves a fundamental shift in a person’s soul and self-respect.
• In the Play:
• External: Higgins focuses on the superficial transformation of Eliza—cleaning her up, dressing her well, and teaching her to speak perfectly. He sees her as an experiment, a "block of wood" to be carved.
• Internal: A deeper, more important transformation happens within Eliza. It begins when she demands to be treated with dignity (e.g., standing up to Higgins in Act 1) and is nurtured by Colonel Pickering’s polite and respectful treatment. Eliza later realizes that "the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated."
• The Result: Eliza's final transformation occurs when she breaks free from Higgins, asserts her independence, and realizes her own worth, becoming a truly self-reliant woman.

3. Appearance vs. Reality

• The Main Idea: Appearances can be deceiving. While society uses outward signs like clothes, manners, and speech to judge a person's worth, true character lies beneath the surface.
• In the Play:
• Higgins: Looks like a gentleman but often lacks manners and is rude.
• Pickering: Is a true gentleman both in appearance and in his kind treatment of others, regardless of their class.
• Eliza: Initially appears as a dirty, ignorant flower girl, but hides intelligence, ambition, and a strong sense of moral dignity.
• The Result: The play shows that while appearances can be used to change one’s social standing (as Eliza does), the true essence of a person—their "soul"—is what truly matters.

4. Femininity and Gender Roles

• The Main Idea: Shaw challenges the rigid Victorian definitions of femininity, which limited women's roles to the home and made them dependent on men for financial security through marriage.
• In the Play:
• Traditional Roles: Characters like Mrs. Pearce and Mrs. Higgins represent established roles for women in their respective classes.
• A New Ideal: Shaw presents a new kind of woman through Eliza. She is educated, refined, and ambitious.
• The Result: Instead of accepting the limited options society offers her (marrying Higgins, Pickering, or Freddy for financial support), Eliza carves out her own path. By deciding to use her new skills to teach, she becomes an independent, career-minded woman, redefining what it means to be a "lady."