“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.”, a quote by Eliza Doolittle. In the short play “Pygmalion”, by George Bernard Shaw, a flower girl named Eliza Doolittle wants to learn how to be a lady. Shaw uses Liza’s statement as a central theme for the book. This theme revolves around language and communication, transformation, identity, and appearance. Foremost, the quote has a lot of meaning in it and displays a central theme for the entire play. The quote is describing how one can
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Social classes are what run the world, the higher ranked social classes get more while the lower classes get practically nothing. For example, when Liza was a flower girl everyone expected nothing of her. They thought she was poor and just another person begging for money. When she received expensive clothing and lessons to speak and act like a lady, she was instantly respected. This shows how appearances affect the way one is treated and perceived by others. Social classes cannot be changed just by the way you dress and act. Shaw tries to explain this concept throughout the novel, how even though Liza tries to act like a lady she easily goes back to how she was before. “LIZA. No: Not now. Never again. I have learnt my lesson. I don 't believe I could utter one of the old sounds if I tried. [Doolittle touches her on her left shoulder. She drops her work, losing her self-possession utterly at the spectacle of her father 's splendor] A-a-a-a-a-ah-ow-ooh!” (Swift, 560). No matter how hard Liza tried she still had the old flower girl still in her. Although Liza’s father, Mr.Doolittle was able to become rich, his behavior never changed. Swift is trying to display that you cannot change your behavior, even if you are able to improve your life. For example, Mr. Doolittle was very poor, but when he gains a fortune from an American millionaire, he does not know what to do. He misses taking …show more content…
Shaw creates a general theme through a statement expressed by Liza Doolittle. Liza a common flower girl tries to become more like a lady, although Shaw shows that one’s behavior cannot be changed no matter how hard you try. The general theme of this short play revolves around language, appearances, and transformations. One can work to improve their life but not change their
Social classes are what run the world, the higher ranked social classes get more while the lower classes get practically nothing. For example, when Liza was a flower girl everyone expected nothing of her. They thought she was poor and just another person begging for money. When she received expensive clothing and lessons to speak and act like a lady, she was instantly respected. This shows how appearances affect the way one is treated and perceived by others. Social classes cannot be changed just by the way you dress and act. Shaw tries to explain this concept throughout the novel, how even though Liza tries to act like a lady she easily goes back to how she was before. “LIZA. No: Not now. Never again. I have learnt my lesson. I don 't believe I could utter one of the old sounds if I tried. [Doolittle touches her on her left shoulder. She drops her work, losing her self-possession utterly at the spectacle of her father 's splendor] A-a-a-a-a-ah-ow-ooh!” (Swift, 560). No matter how hard Liza tried she still had the old flower girl still in her. Although Liza’s father, Mr.Doolittle was able to become rich, his behavior never changed. Swift is trying to display that you cannot change your behavior, even if you are able to improve your life. For example, Mr. Doolittle was very poor, but when he gains a fortune from an American millionaire, he does not know what to do. He misses taking …show more content…
Shaw creates a general theme through a statement expressed by Liza Doolittle. Liza a common flower girl tries to become more like a lady, although Shaw shows that one’s behavior cannot be changed no matter how hard you try. The general theme of this short play revolves around language, appearances, and transformations. One can work to improve their life but not change their