Pygmalions Various Conflicts - Essay Example

March 11, Literature Review for Pygmalion Nineteenth-century London is a place and gender differences. Bernard Shaw examines the causes, process and consequences of changing identities in Pygmalion within the said setting. Several scholars studied the implications of social class and culture to identity transformation and the problems included in it. Literature Review Terry Nienhuis analyses Pygmalion’s various conflicts, usually between the person and society, and the person against another person. He asserts that Higgins’ plight is that, despite his intelligence, social class, and education, he lacks the breeding that is fitting for an emphatic human being (Nienhuis 3). Several times in the drama, Mrs. Pearce and Mrs. Higgins, Henry Higgin’s mother, asked Henry Higgins what will become of Eliza after her transformation (Shaw). Higgins does not find these concerns as more important than his goal of transforming Eliza into a Duchess in manners and speech (Shaw Act 2). His attitude shows lack of apathy for the plight of a woman whose life he is changing (Nienhuis 3). He does not have the breeding of a human being, only the intellect of an academic expert. Olukayode A. Afolabi would have described Higgins as lacking in emotional intelligence because he cannot monitor his feelings and the feelings of others to respond positively (126). Higgins has the plight of person versus social codes of conduct. A number of scholars discuss the plight of the heroine. Nienhuis also discusses Eliza’s plight in the story. He explains that Eliza’s plight is that, because she has been transformed from a lower-class woman to an upper-class one, she believes she cannot fit any. Upper-class life is too sophisticated for her, while lower-class living is no longer sufficient (Nienhuis 3), which shows Eliza’s common sense as a humane person (Mellor 345). This matches Social Identity Theory, where people interact with other groups through their social identity more than their individual identity (Sindic and Reicher 114). Eliza sees herself more as part of another class that is in-between two worlds. Her plight is also with her love life and the direction she wants after being transformed. At the end of the play, Eliza gets angry at Higgins for being so insensitive, and largely because of how he mistreats her as a “social inferior” (Nienhuis 3). It shows the person-versus-person conflict because of different perceptions on how people should be treated. Neelam and Rao assert that Eliza has the life force of an independent woman that allowed her to surpass the conflicts in her life. They explain the concept of life force for Shaw which “[indicates] a power continually working upon the hearts of men and women and impelling them towards a better and fuller life... a higher and better existence” (Neelam and Rao 52). Eliza’s life force became her drive to change her life, including her identity. She is a better person because she has a higher existence due to internal and external changes. Kimberly Bohman-Kalaja presents a different analysis due to a Nietzschean approach of decoding social systems and codes. She says: Shaw’s Nietzschean-style approach to dismantling the codes that structure the hierarchies of social and political power was, and is, unnerving, as Shaw’s plays emphasize not only what is covered up or misrepresented, but also how exterior changes may (or may not) provoke substantive and genuine transformations of subjective identities. (111). She disagrees with Neelam and Rao that life force alone can explain the transformation of Eliza. Instead, readers have to consider social constraints to personal transformations. Savukynas’ definition of Otherness underscores that Eliza has social identity problems because of the conflict between her Otherness and belongingness to an upper-class community (105). These are problems that society creates because of its inequalities. Apart from discussing Eliza’s plight, Nienhuis examines Shaw’s plight as the writer. Shaw’s plight is that the ending of Pygmalion is changed to fit sentimental notions of Higgins and Eliza being married happily ever after (Nienhuis 3). He does not agree with interpretations or versions of Pygmalion where Eliza and Higgins marry (Nienhuis 3). Shaw even wrote an essay as a sequel to the play, wherein he states that he agrees that “Pygmalion is a romance in that its heroine undergoes an almost miraculous change, but he argues that the logic of the characterisation does not permit a conventional happy ending” (Nienhuis 3). In the sequel, Eliza marries Freddy and they do not have a perfect life but go into financial problems, if not without the financial support of Colonel Pickering (Nienhuis 3). Derek McGovern underscores the wishes of Shaw regarding the ending of the play that has been reinterpreted differently by other producers and directors in a number of films. He mentions L.W. Conolly who notes that Shaw’s providing of his own clear interpretation of the ending asserts what he wants for his play’s ending because it “represents [his final] wishes about how the [1938] film should have ended, and how productions of the play should end” (10). It is argued that Shaw has problems with changing the interpretation of his work which does not emphasise happy endings, but only romantic transformations. Another plight that Shaw explores is the plight of the English language. Nienhuis asserts that one of the concerns of Shaw is the problems of the English language that needs correction because it has many weaknesses (2). It shows the conflict between an individual and his society. However, he notes that Shaw says that phonetician concerns are not the core of Pygmalion (Nienhuis 2). August W. Staub expands the social plight in Pygmalion through underscoring London’s social class system in the 1990s that is based on the English language, as well as the meaning of settings to the plight in the play. Staub describes that “London was the center of world commerce and the leading city of the democratic societies,” but ironically, “London was home to the British Empire and organised into a rigid class system, which permitted no crossing of boundaries” (1). Staub explains that class systems are established and practices through differentiating people based on their speech patterns (1). Pygmalion is a representation of how a lower-class woman can upset the English class system by removing her Cockney accent and developing an upper-class English accent (Staub 1). For Staub, Higgins and Eliza do fall in love with each other, but Higgins is too much of an upper class to accept Eliza as his spouse (Staub 1). Staub is like other scholars who believe that it is Higgins who does not want to accept Eliza as a true equal. Staub then explains that St. Paul’s Cathedral is a place where different classes often interact, the same place where Eliza meets Higgins (1). Staub also notes that 27A Wimpole Street is an important location because it is where Higgins live, which is an upscale neighbourhood. He argues that the house represents the “place of learning where Eliza is reborn as a “lady,” with an entirely new habit of speech” (1). It is described also a place of conflict between the old and new self of Eliza. The next setting is Mrs. Higgins’ home, where Eliza’s speech and social skills are tested first. Eliza meets the Eynsford Hills who are poor but are still upper-class members (Staub 1). It is the same place where Eliza passes the test and rejects Higgins who rejected her first as his equal (Staub 1). These scholars underscore Eliza’s problems because she has changed as a person, which indicates social problems for her despite her transformation. Josef Raab focuses more on the social analysis of Pygmalion, arguing that the major plight of the play is its portrayal of social tensions. He asserts that Shaw wants to demonstrate social inequalities that affect how people treat one another: “Shaw deals here with the assumptions of social superiority and inferiority that underlie the class system. He demonstrates how speech and etiquette preserve class distinctions” (Raab 1). Raab is saying that the class system is reinforced through speech and etiquette differences. Furthermore, Raab cites Shaw’s analysis of language patterns and its social effects: “It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him” (1). Pygmalion underscores that language and pronunciation are both arbitrary and yet they affect how people see and treat each other (Raab 1). Lastly, Raab notes the plight of the characters who find class distinctions unfair, including gender differences. He stresses that Shaw is not receptive to feminist ideals in his time, by presenting Higgins as the saviour of Eliza from poverty and lack of civility (Raab 1). Nevertheless, Pygmalion still shows how Eliza transforms because she also accepted the challenge of being a better person by learning social codes and conduct that can benefit her identity and destiny. What Raab lacks is the exploration of how, through reader response and other personal analysis, Eliza can be seen as a feminist icon for taking charge of her life and rejecting the shabby treatment of Higgins. Hence, these scholars underscore that these plights are not only individual concerns, but also social problems. These are problems that express not only the moral concerns of London at the time, but also its social and gender inequalities. They altogether prove how society shapes social and gender norms and how these norms influence gender identities. Plight in Shaw and Pygmalion Can a lower-class woman be turned into an upper-class socialite? Bernard Shaw explores the process and consequences of changing identities in Pygmalion, which is set in 1900 in London. Henry Higgins, a phonetician, believes that he can turn a flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into a Duchess, and he bets on this goal with Colonel Pickering, another phonetician. Eliza does transform according to their plans, but there are different analyses of the plights in the play and in Shaw himself. This paper shows the difficulties of the writer and the characters. Higgin’s main concern is his lack of humanness in spite of his intelligence, social class, and education, Eliza deals with identity and romantic struggles, whereas Shaw explores the problems of society and the dissatisfaction with those who change the meanings of his play. Higgins’ plight is his absence of social norms that contradicts his intelligence. Terry Nienhuis examines Pygmalion’s different conflicts. He underscores that Higgins is academically intelligent, but not socially and emotionally intelligent (Nienhuis 3). When asked what will become of Eliza after her transformation, Higgins does not pay them attention because he simply does not think about the consequences of his actions. He is only after the success of his goals (Shaw Act 2). His attitude means he has poor emotional intelligence (Afolabi 126). Nevertheless, he does apply his emotional coldness to all when he tells Eliza: “The great secret, Eliza, is not having bad manners or good manners or any other particular sort of manners... one soul is as good as another” (Shaw Act5, paragraph186). His equality of indifference to all is not helpful in helping him become a better person, however. Higgins’ dilemma is within himself that puts him in conflict with humane codes of conduct. Eliza’s plight concerns individual and social changes. As a changed woman, she finds it hard to fit the upper-class or the lower-class world. She already has a new social identity that confuses her idea of selfhood (Sindic and Reicher 114). Nienhuis agrees that Eliza has problems in fitting any social class because parts of her belong to both (Nienhuis 3). Another dilemma for Eliza is her love life. After passing her final tests of upper-class identity, Eliza gets irritated at Higgins for treating her as his “social inferior” (Nienhuis 3), as she tells him: “I wont be passed over” (Shaw Act5, paragraph189). Higgins does not see her life force, which Neelam and Rao assert is important to the inner changes of Eliza (52). Eliza’s life force became her drive to change her life, including her identity, but Higgins does not appreciate it, thereby affirming the social boundaries that differentiate people (Bohman-Kalaja 111). Eliza is in an ironic situation of not belonging to any social class because she can and cannot fit both social classes (Savukynas 105). She has the problem of floating between two worlds that can no longer accept her as their own. Shaw’s plight is that the ending of Pygmalion does not confirm to his own idea of realistic endings. Some producers want Eliza and Higgins to be happy together (Nienhuis 3). Shaw rejects these interpretations because a realistic portrayal of social distinctions does not end in fairy-tale happy endings (Nienhuis 3). In the sequel that Shaw provides to all readers, he makes it clear that Eliza marries Freddy, not Higgins, but even they do not have a happily-ever-after because of their financial difficulties. Shaw notes in the sequel that after they married: “Complications ensued; but they were economic, not romantic” (Sequel paragraph10). Shaw uses direct and plain words that remind the audience that there is no fairy tale ending between a stubborn bachelor and a beautiful young lady, because that is exactly what reality looks like. Derek McGovern explains that Shaw does not want false interpretations for his play is more realistic than romantic endings (10). Shaw has a problem with unreal interpretations that are against the social conventions of his play. One more plight that Shaw explores is the dilemma of the English language within a socially-divided culture. Nienhuis notes that Shaw thinks that the English language has its weaknesses (2). Nonetheless, Shaw asserts that Pygmalion is not a phonetician’s dilemma (Nienhuis 2). August W. Staub focuses on London’s social class system in the 1990s indicates social problems. He asserts that London is an international commercial and social centre, but it also strong socially-differentiated (1). Indeed, the play shows how people are differentiated from each other because of their speech patterns, as Higgins tells Eliza in Act 1: “A woman who utters such depressing and disgusting sounds has no right to be anywhere—no right to live” (117). He harshly criticizes Eliza for speaking the way she does because English, as the upper-class use it, is a superior language. Nonetheless, as the play shows, speech patterns can be changed, and with it, social status. Higgins makes a bet with Pickering that he can change a mere flower girl’s life completely: “You see this creature with her kerbstone English...Well, sir, in three months I could pass that girl off as a duchess at an ambassadors garden party” (Shaw Act1, paragraph121). Higgins knows that one of the evidence of social class is language and to change it is a ticket to a better social status. The effect is that social status differences can be demeaning, and yet it is based only on outward appearances and skills (Staub 1; Raab 1). Class system is reinforced through speech and etiquette differences. To conclude, Pygmalion demonstrates the difficulties of individual development in a socially-stratified society. Some of the lower-class can attempt to rise to upper-class level, but only to the point of changing their identities. These changes affect them as people because they realize how socially unjust the world is. These conflicts are not lost to Shaw, who also deals with his social criticism of London, as well as the implications of romanticised endings of his play. Shaw leaves the audience thinking of their social class and what they have done to reinforce it. Works Cited Afolabi, Olukayode A. “Roles of Personality Types, Emotional Intelligence and Gender Differences on Prosocial Behavior.” Psychological Thought 6.1 (2013): 124-139. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. Bohman-Kalaja, Kimberly. “Undoing Identities in Two Irish Shaw Plays: John Bulls Other Island And Pygmalion.” Shaw: The Annual of Bernard Shaw Studies 30 (2010): 108-132. McGovern, Derek. “From Stage Play To Hybrid: Shaws Three Editions Of Pygmalion.” Shaw: The Annual of Bernard Shaw Studies 31 (2011): 9-30. Literary Reference. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. Mellor, Anne K. “Thoughts on Romanticism and Gender.” European Romantic Review 23.3 (2012): 343-348. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. Nienhuis, Terry. “Pygmalion.” Masterplot (2010): 1-4. Literary Reference. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. Neelam, and A.S. Rao. “Relevance of Life Force in the Plays of G B Shaw: Candida and Pygmalion.” IUP Journal of English Studies 6.2 (2011): 51-56. Literary Reference. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. Raab, Josef. “Pygmalion.” Magill’s Survey of World Literature (2009): 1. Literary Reference. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. Savukynas, Virginijus. “The Other in Society: Stereotypes and Identity.” Dialogue & Universalism 13.1/2 (2003): 103-121. Shaw, Bernard. Pygmalion. 1912. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. Sindic, Denis, and Stephen D. Reicher. ‘Our Way of Life is Worth Defending’: Testing a Model of Attitudes towards Superordinate Group Membership through a Study of Scots Attitudes towards Britain.” European Journal of Social Psychology 39.1 (2009): 114-129. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. Staub, August W. “Pygmalion.” Cyclopedia of Literary Places (2003): 1. Literary Reference. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. Read More