Comparing Catcher in the Rye and Pygmalion and the Themes They Represent In J. D. Salingers novel The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden Caulfield, muses at one point on the possibility of escaping from the world of confusion and phonies while George Bernard Shaws main character of Pygmalion, Eliza Dolittle, struggles to become a phony. The possible reason for this is that they both come from opposite backgrounds. Holden is a young, affluent teenager in 1950s America who resents materialism and Eliza Dolittle is a young, indigent woman who is living in Britain during the late 1800s trying to meet her material needs and wants. These two seemingly opposite characters do in fact have something in common: they, like every other person, are in a constant pursuit of happiness. This commonality is the basis for the themes these two stories present. Some of these themes go unconsidered and this leads to many misunderstandings in the world. This is why Pygmalion and Catcher in the Rye are not just stories but, in fact, lessons that are presented in their themes. These themes teach that being middle or upper class does not guarantee happiness, treating others with good manners and equality are important, and pronunciation and terminology can put you in your place in terms of class. Throughout the worlds history, pronunciation and the way a language is spoken indicates ones place in society. This is quite apparent in Pygmalion. Eliza is a classic victim of being put into her place based on the way she speaks. She goes to Professor Higgins in hope that he will give her lessons on how to speak in a more refined. She says she wants to be a lady in a flower shop stead of sellin at the corner of Tottenham Court Road. But they wont take me unless I can talk more genteel (23). This is precisely why she comes to Henry Higgins. He knows quite a bit about the study of speech. In fact, he is a professor of phonetics. He can pronounce one hundred thirty vowel sounds and place any man within six miles of their homes (15). Sometimes he can even place them within two streets of their homes. When Eliza hears this, she decides to take advantage of Higgins ability and take lessons from him. She learns a new form of speech and this newfound way of speaking helps to pass her off as a duchess at an opera. Holdens speech also manages to categorize him: not class-wise, but rather age-wise and personality-wise. He captures the informal speech of an average intelligent adolescent. This speech includes both simple description and cursing. For example, in the introduction, Holden says, Theyre nice and all, as well as, Im not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything (1). The term nice is an extremely broad term Holden uses to characterize his parents. He does not want to disrespect them yet he does not feel right praising them either. This opening to Holdens story shows Holdens unwillingness to share his views. However, this gradually changes and he opens up. He uses the terms and all and or anything regularly throughout the novel and because not everyone speaks like this, these terms make Holdens speech unique. Holden also feels he has to confirm what he is saying because he does not quite believe himself. For example, he says, Im a pacifist, if you want to know the truth (26). When Holden is particularly angry, he swears more often. He says That guy Morrow is about as sensitive as a god dam toilet seat (55). His inability to properly communicate without have to rely on profanity to express himself shows Holden as a boy suffering from what some might call teenage angst. Holden, however, rarely shows his angst publicly. For the most part, he is composed in front of people; especially adults and strangers. If annoyed about something, he manages to say what he thinks in such a polite, disguised way, the people he talks to do not even notice. Holden believes in manners and treating everyone equally. Before Holden leaves for Christmas Break, Mr. Spencer invites him to his house and asks about what the headmaster, Dr. Thurmer, said to him. Holden replies that Dr. Thurmer spoke of life being a game, and that one should play it according to the rules (8). Holden shows no animosity about Dr. Thurmers speech. He accepts it as part of the educators duty even though he knows that life is only a game if you are on the right side, where all the hot-shots are. Mr. Spencer also lectures and proceeds to go through Holdens history exam with him. Holden did poorly both in class and on the exam and feels guilty because Mr. Spencer is infatuated with history. Holden tells his teacher that he enjoys listening to his lectures in class but he didnt care much for history because he doesnt want to hurt his feelings (11). Robert Ackley, the boy living in the room next to Holden and Ward Stradlater, Holdens roommate at Pencey Prep, are seemingly exact opposites of each other. Ackley is a boring, homely loner while Stradlater is an exiting, handsome athlete. However, Holden sees them as being quite similar. Primarily, they are both slobs. Ackley is a blatant slob: He has lousy teeth [] they always looked mossy and awful and he had a lot of pimples (19) while Stradlater is a secret slob. He always looked all right, but you shouldve seen the razor he shaved himself with [.] rusty as hell and full of lather and hairs (27). They are also uncaring and self-absorbed. For example, Stradlater does not care about Holdens feelings for Jane Gallagher. After the two fight about her, Holden goes to Ackleys room to talk. Ackley keeps telling Holden to be quiet and go to sleep even though Holden always listens to his problems. Holden also condemns a former headmaster who is especially courteous to well-dressed, well-to-do parents and less courteous, to less sophisticated and powerful parents. This disgusts Holden and he resents that someone he is supposed to respect is such a prime example of the materialistic society he lives in. Eliza also believes that all people should be treated equally. Including herself, she greatly dislikes the patronizing way people of low-class society are treated by people of high-class society. In an attempt to equal herself with others in society, Eliza wants to take lessons on how to talk more genteel (23). Even though she has virtually no money, she insists to Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering that she has come to have lessons, I am. And pay for em too: make no mistakes (23). She does not believe that she should be given any special considerations just because she cannot as readily afford the lessons as others. These lessons, she believes, will change her life and she will then be a happier person. In the beginning of Pygmalion, Eliza is a young low-class woman selling flowers on the street corner so that she can make enough money to survive. Even though this is the only way of living she knows, Eliza sees that there is more out there and she does not have to be a low-class woman forever. She wants more out of life and will not allow herself to be stomped on by others. She is a very proud person and when Henry Higgins orders his maid, Mrs. Pearce, to take all of her clothes off and burn them, Eliza replies angrily, youre no gentleman, youre not, to talk of such things. Im a good girl, I am (27). The burning of her old clothes marks the beginning of a series of changes for Eliza. In the hopes of achieving a better life in high-class society, she must say good-bye to everything she knows and this she does with mixed emotions. After her transformation, though, she discovers that life is not as wonderful as she thought it would be. Eliza realizes that so-called proper people have problems as well. Now that she has achieved her goal, she does not know what she is going to do with her life. She does have secret hopes of marrying Henry Higgins, however, but these hopes are destroyed during a fight in which he reveals to her that he has no intentions of marrying her. He tells her she might marry, you know. You see Eliza, all men are, not confirmed old bachelors like me and the Colonel. Most men are the marrying sort (poor devils) (77). After this realization hits, Eliza leaves Professor Higgins home. Soon after, she gets involved with Freddy Eynford Hill, a poor but classy, intelligent gentleman. He is clearly in love with Eliza and they marry. From this point on, they live a simple life, working in their own flower shop. Throughout her transformation, Eliza loses sight of her original goal which is to own a flower shop. She begins to think she needs more to b happy. Ironically, however, at the point in her life when she has the most materially, is the point she is unhappiest. This is not to say that she resents all that she has learned because now she realizes that achieving her original goal is all she needs. Holden presents this theme in a different way than Eliza. At the beginning of the novel, he states that he does not want to explain where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield king of crap (1). Even though he comes from an affluent family from NYC, he has problems of his own. He does not live a free and easy lifestyle, as some would expect. In fact, the life he leads could typically be expected by society to be that of someone of a lower class. For example, he is repeatedly expelled from schools for poor achievement. In an attempt to deal with his latest expulsion, he leaves school a few days prior to the end of term, and goes to New York to take a vacation before returning home to deal with his parents. Throughout his journey home, he describes bouts of deep depression, impulsive spending and erratic behaviour prior to his nervous breakdown. Despite his material wealth, Holden does not appreciate what he has; he feels guilty. For example, his roommate at Elkton Hills, Dick Slagee had very inexpensive suitcases. He used to keep them under the bed, instead of on the rack, so that nobody would see them standing next to mine. It depressed holy hell out of me, and I kept wanting to throw mine out or something, or even trade with him (108). Holden is a prime example that all people are human beings; one is not any better than another based on which position in society they hold. He is not pretentious because of his wealth, but actually, if a comparison of the two is going to be made, Holden is of a higher class than Eliza but he leads a more melancholy life than she. Therefore, wealth does not create happiness. These two authors, J .D. Salinger and George Bernard Shaw have created two stories that are effective in many different ways. They are not only great literary pieces of work written with great intelligence but they are also geared toward the average reader. This method of creating a story that virtually anyone can read and find interest in is a great way to attract readers. When readers are attracted, the authors messages get across much more clearly and to a larger number of people. When Catcher in the Rye and Pygmalion were written, the authors had the same themes in mind. These themes provoke thought and when thought is provoked, many good things can happen. For example, people can realize what they are doing wrong and change their ways. As these stories show, being middle or upper class does not guarantee happiness, being well mannered and treating people equally is important, and people should not always be judged based on the way they speak. If people read these stories and realize that they are not just great literary works but also important messages, much more can be learned than the mechanics of writing. If people begin to take these themes and apply them to everyday life, these stories could be considered more than just literature.
Sanford, “a pretentious rake” (Foster 818), was a bad influence; Boyer was boring and pompous, but polite and respectable. Obviously, either of the two choices could lead to her downfall. So, it was a choice between two evils, but Boyer from all indications appeared to be a better choice. However, “Brought up to understand the behavior expected of a proper young woman of her station, Eliza is not an immoral person” (Foster 818). So, Eliza had a strong sense of what is wrong and what is right based on her upbringing; but despite this, she had some difficulties keeping to her morals, and still ended up making a poor choice of a partner. In my opinion, she did not make a very good choice, but what happened to her in the end is not entirely her fault, but a combination of her poor choices, and the fate she met. She knew the kind of person Sanford was, and her friends did warn her that “Many have been the victims of his treachery” (Foster 864). In her letter to Eliza, Lucy Freeman says “Methinks I can gather from your letters, a predilection for this Major Sanford. But he is a rake, my dear friend; and can a lady of your delicacy and refinement think of forming a connection with a man of that character? I hope not… you will not find a more excellent partner than Mr. Boyer. Whatever you reasonably expect in a lover, a
From the protagonists’ point of view, the adult world Holden and Franny are entering and living in is a very superficial place. Holden who is sixteen years of age is going through a time of crisis where he is almost forced to become an adult. This concept is the very thing that makes Holden afraid, causing him to misbehave at school. His latest school, Pencey Prep, expels Holden due to his failing grades. When asked for the reason of his lack of academic enthusiasm, Holden simply states that he is not interested in anything. In every school he has attended, Holden has managed to find different reasons not to care and possibly even hate the institutions.
I remember I was taught about Aristotle’s views on women which is very similar to how Eliza was treated throughout the novel. Aristotle thought that women were subjects to men, however, Aristotle believed that they were higher in the ranks than slaves. Eliza was treated practically like a slave in the novel and this passage shows her others thought of her. Mr. Shelby writes “How else shall we account for the existence of this disposition, in your favorite fair? It cannot be the result of her education.” (Foster 78) in this sentence Mr. Shelby questions how they are going to treat Eliza due to her coquette tendencies. Which is something that can be concerning since they view her tendencies as a crime in their eye; or so they portrayed. In reality Eliza’s tendencies would not be looked down upon because of her gender. However, because women were looked down on during this time Aristotle’s views on women becomes accurate since during this time women were looked at as subjects to men with few
In her final letter to her mother, Eliza admits her wrong doings. She tells her mother she ignored all the things she was told. All their advice fell on her deaf ears. She explains that she had fallen victim to her own indiscretion. She had become the latest conquest of “a designing libertine,” (Foster 894). She knew about Sanford’s reputation, she knew his intentions, and she knew that he was married, yet she still started a relationship with him. And her blatant disregard for facts and common sense caused her unwed pregnancy and premature demise. Eliza Wharton had nobody to blame for her situation but herself. She ignored warnings, advice, common sense, and other options available to her. She chose her ill fated path and had to suffer the consequences.
In this current time period in England people were associated with classes based on their accent and how well they could speak. This meant that as soon and one talked, they were judged and ranked by other members of society. This ranking is what drove Eliza to want to be taught by Professor Higgins. It was incredibly difficulty for the people with the lower class dialect to find jobs. All Eliza wanted to do was be able to own a flower shop one day, but she could not do so until her speech was changed. When she first came into Mr. Higgins’s household, she could barely be understood because her accent was so thick. Immoderately after agreeing to give Eliza lessons, Mr. Higgins had her working. Eliza spent many hours working on machines and with different techniques to perfect her vowel and eventually consonant sounds. It was very strenuous and demanding. Mr. Higgins would drill her, showing little sympathy. Colonel Pickering wa the more caring one who saw Eliza as a person rather than an object that needed to be taught and controlled. He is the one who taught Eliza her manners and the proper way to address and speak with people. A clue or key part in the play that symbolized Eliza's speech transformation was at the end, when the bet was running out and Mr. Higgins and Colonel Pickering took Eliza to the social event of the year to see if they could pass her off as one of England's high class elite. This in fact was accomplished. Eliza succeeded at being viewed as a duchess by the upper class. However, when Mr. Higgins and Colonel Pickering arrived home with Eliza, neighbor her of the men congratulated her or appreciated all of her hard work. The two men praised themselves and did not take into account the fact that Eliza had worked day in and day out, slaving to make herself a better more acceptable person in society. When neither of the men
One of the roles Eliza must play is the role of a proper young woman. She is expected to behave a certain way, treat men a certain way, and be married by a certain age to a Reverend. She feels that she must do this in order to please her family and friends, “To them, of course, I sacrificed my fancy in this affair; determined that my reason should concur with theirs; and on that to risk my future happiness”(5). She is sacrificing her happiness so; therefore, she is conforming to the proper role of being a young woman in society.
We can wish to change when wanting to improve ourselves, to satisfy others who we hold in esteem, to meet demands placed upon us, but most importantly, a successful change must come from self-motivated reasons. A change forced upon a person is like no change at all. After the pressure, the expectations, the possible threat of that comes with authority, have all been removed, a change can only last if the subject being changed had wanted to be changed in the first place. Initially, she wanted to improve her speaking voice so that she could find a better job, and with a better job, better prospects in every part of her life. She realizes that she can do this with Higgins’s help—she recognizes his expertise in this subject, but he is unwilling to help her until she pays him a high sum that she cannot afford. Higgins’s peer Colonel Pickering’s attention is brought to Eliza’s plight and he feels for her, so he strikes up a wager with Higgins and ...
With this warning in mind, Eliza begins her lessons and In addition to cleaning her up, teaching her how to behave in society, and instructing her about what to wear, Higgins completely re-shapes her language skills. By depriving her of sleep and forcing her to repeat phrases like "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain," he hopes to rid her of her ghastly accent.
The phonetic expert, Higgins, takes the challenge of molding Eliza Doolittle, poor, cockney flower girl. As a first attempt, he wants to change the appearance of the Eliza, as appearance helps her to show herself off as a high-class girl. By keeping herself and her clothes clean, she can grow up in the ladder of status in the so...
While Henry is rude, we see that Eliza is weak, most likely caused by her struggle and despair. While Eliza lives a life where she scrapes together whatever she can find, it becomes impossible for her not to accept the offers from Henry. While she might not seem to enjoy something, there is no doubt that she must accept it.
She now sees the power she has within herself now. Eliza now has the skills to be elite, a romantic interest, and a newly rich father. She has bigger and better things besides Professor Higgins. “ELIZA. You see, really and truly, apart from the things anyone can pick up (the dressing and the proper way of speaking, and so on), the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she 's treated. I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins, because he always treats me as a flower girl, and always will; but I know I can be a lady to you, because you always treat me as a lady, and always will.” This truth from Eliza expands to a patriarchal society. The way women are treated to be inferior is what keeps them inferior, not how women act. Eliza is lucky to have the opportunity to hold herself to a higher image that is given the respect she always deserved. If only all women were not treated like flower girls, and like
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.
Higgins, a teacher of proprietary manners, lacks those very manners which others pay to learn from him. Ironically, Higgins believes that he is the greatest teacher of manners. He announces that in “three months [he] could pass [Eliza] off as a duchess.” Higgins thinks that he can take any lower class girl and pass her off as a duchess. He truly believes that he is capable of transforming Eliza. Once the teaching begins, Higgins shows no respect for others in his life. When he goes to see his mother, she reminds him that “[he] promised not to come on” her days when she is having guests. He ignores this promise to his mother because he believes that his newest experiment is more important than his mother’s insignificant visitors are. This behavior continues throughout the ...
Pygmalion introduces Eliza as a poor flower girl, hurrying for shelter against the rain. While under a music hall awning for shelter, she interacts with a number of people, including Professor Henry Higgins and Co...
...ough the character of Higgins. It is obvious that Higgins's manners are not much better than those of the Covent Garden flower girl. In fact Higgins comes off much worse because of the fact that he has had all the civilizing benefits of wealth and education yet he is rude to the point of being boorish and ill mannered, is given to frequent inflammatory outbursts, and possesses abominable table manners. The fact that such an ill- mannered person is accepted by society as a "gentleman" provides Shaw with an opportunity to expose the shallowness and hypocrisy of such a society. Shaw thus critiques a society that views wealth and the ability to speak correctly as the constitutive criteria of a prescriptive gentleman. It is one of Shaw's master ironic strokes to make such a rude and boorish egotistical bully the main agent for transforming a common flower girl into a lady.