Pygmalion Social Class

In society, we are judged by our social class. We are divided into groups depending on our wealth, influence, and status. With each social class, society has certain expectations and norms that they expect people from their catorgorie to follow. For instance, society assumes that the higher an individual is on the hierarchy, the more prosperous and content they are. These are the ideas that Bernard Shaw challenges. Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and socialist that desired to demolish the caste system in Britain. He used his play, Pygmalion to depict the contrast of social classes. He exploited his characters, Eliza and Doolittle to depict their experience with rising to the upper class in terms of realism and idealism. He shows us clearly

Doolittle was a part of the undeserving poor and did as little as necessary to get by in life. He chose the career path of a dustman, instead of working his proper trade as a navy because he believed it was easier for him to get by in life. Also, he chose his profession to be liberated from morals, so that he wouldn 't be subjected to middle-class morality. He even admitted to his lack of morals. He said, “Cant afford them, Governor. Neither could you if you was as poor as me” (page 1030) in response to Henry Higgins 's question over his morals. This shows how he doesn 't hide behind a facade and doesn 't really care about what other people think of him. As well as that it is quite apparent that Doolittle is intelligent. He tried to sell Eliza, his daughter for £50 by proving Higgins with a speech. He claimed that too much charity is offered to the deserving poor, while dismissing the needs of the undeserving poor. He claimed it was time for him to take his share as a member of society. He finished off by saying, “I ain 't pretending to be deserving. I 'm deserving; and I mean to go on being undeserving. I like it; and thats the truth” (page 1030). This showed how Doolittle was very blunt and honest. He says whatever he pleases and lives life without social norms getting involved. He went off on a tangent saying he had the right to go on a drunken binge just like a deserving poor man. He told them that if he was given the

Doolittle isn’t the type of individual to do more than necessary of him and he doesn 't really accept society 's norms. He didn 't want to be part of society and lived a life soliciting others. However, he changes and becomes proper. He refrains from disrespect and acts on his best behavior. For instance, when Doolittle arrived at Mrs. Higgins’s house, he became conscious that he forgot to greet the hostess and said, “Asking your pardon maam” (page 1054). As well as that he is getting married at St.George’s, Handover Square to his fiancé because of his rise in status. If he had still been poor, he would have dismissed the idea of partaking in such an event. He said, “No: that aint the natural way, Colonel: it’s only the middle class way. My way was always the undeserving way” (page 1059). He commented that he never even married Eliza’s mother. Doolittle 's personality and appearance changed entirely due to the transformation. He became someone that he would have solicited and loathed if he ever met