Eliza Dolittle Change In Pygmalion

The Primary Ways in Which Eliza Doolittle Changes
In George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Henry Higgins, an expert in phonetics, makes a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering that he will be able to change Eliza Doolittle from a poor, uneducated Cockney flower girl into an eloquent duchess in just six months. It is stated that Higgins wins the bet if Eliza can pass off as a duchess at an ambassador’s garden party. In the end, Eliza’s training is successful, for everyone at the party believes that she is indeed a duchess and Higgins wins the bet. Due to her lessons, she changes significantly throughout the course of the play. Her self-esteem, for instance, is low when she is first introduced but it gradually progresses as she turns into a confident woman. The way she speaks changes too, for she no longer speaks with a thick Cockney accent and her grammar is proper, thanks to Higgins’ knowledge in phonetics. Additionally, Eliza goes through a great change, outwardly. She is transformed from a poor, dirty flower girl into a clean, beautiful woman. Overall, the primary aspects that change about her are self-worth, speech, accent, and appearance. Out of the aforementioned points, Shaw makes it clear that her self-esteem improving is the most important transformation of them all.
In regards to the physical aspect of Eliza’s change, her overall appearance is shown to be very poor at the start of the play. She spends most of her days out on the street selling flowers in an attempt to make money but unfortunately she does not make much. It is clear she does not have the time or money to bathe every day much less buy decent clothing. Shaw describes her looks in detail, stating
“She is not at all a romantic figure. Her hair needs washing rathe...

... middle of paper ...

...a already achieves transforming the physical aspect of herself. It only takes several months to change her dialect too. Higgins is successful in teaching her how to talk without a Cockney accent as well as how to have proper grammar. In only six months, Higgins is able to get people to view Eliza as a duchess only by changing her looks and speech. The result of her classes is not what she expects, not only does she meet her goals but she is also able to improve her self-confidence. Although she still has some remaining flaws from before her training, she leaves Higgins’ apartment as a much improved character. She chooses to live a life without wealth and a high social status instead of one where constantly gets criticized by Higgins. In conclusion, out of all the ways in which Eliza changes, the development of her self-worth is the most important transformation.