Pygmalion and Society at the Time

Pygmalion and Society at the Time

In this essay I will be discussing Bernard Shaw's representation of

Edwardian Society in 'Pygmalion'. Shaw was a member of the Fabian

Society; a collection of middle class people who believed that

capitalism had created an unjust and unfair society. They were

concerned about the unreasonable and imbalanced class system of the

time and wanted to 'reconstruct society', creating an equal and fair

civilisation with no class divide, which was so blatantly obvious due

to the ignorance between classes. The rich lived lifestyles of luxury;

the men would earn livings through land and property they owned and

through careers such as scientists, lawyers and accountants. In the

summer, they enjoyed a whole season of entertainment at their London

house for tea and dinner parties, dances and visits to the theatre. In

winter, they had holidays abroad and spent weekends at each other's

country houses. The men went shooting and hunting and the ladies

entertained themselves horse riding. Meanwhile, the poor were

struggling on the dirty streets earning a pittance for manual jobs in

workhouses and places similar. Conditions for them were sometimes so

bad that they were forced to live in ridiculously over-crowded houses

with other poor families. They could not afford new clothes or even

food at times. They could certainly not afford luxuries like the rich

enjoyed. The setting of Eliza's home and Mrs. Higgins' home show the

both the pitiable living condition of the poor and the far from modest

living conditions of the wealthy. Eliza can only afford the basic

needs; a place to sleep, one set of clothes and limited light...

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'I sold flowers not myself.' Eliza's ability to reprimand Higgins is a

bit of a shame for Higgins, as he is being scolded by someone who he

had always considered lower than him. This illustrates again the fact

that money does not buy you respect or manners and does not make you a

good person.

Shaw wanted the middle classes to realise and consider the working

class. He was convinced that the way to alleviate the problem of

poverty in society was to provide equal opportunity for all. This

message is depicted in Eliza's transformation. Shaw also attacks

middle class values and brands them hypocrites. He suggests that

exposure to working class values might do them some good and teach

them a valuable lesson. It is an influential message from start to

finish and will persuade many people to consider others more.