Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion depicts a strong-willed lower class woman living in a capitalist society. During this time, women and the lower class were considered unequal to men and the upper class and, therefore, had to find their own ways to survive. As a result, many women were forced into prostitution, and even that was usually not enough to survive. Eliza breaks free from social norms, showing herself to be superior to those of the upper class and also uplifts the lower class and women. Eliza lives in a society that views her, other women and the lower class as dirty, ignorant and incompetent. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One of the ways Shaw shows this perspective in the play is by deliberately giving Eliza's last name "Doolittle." Once separated, we see that this word becomes “do little” and this gives the idea that Eliza and her family are lazy and “do little”. Even Higgins, despite caring for Eliza, still uses terms to describe Eliza such as "crushed cabbage leaf", "impudent slut", and "horribly dirty". Higgins, being an upper class man, is part of society that views the lower class, and especially women, as not deserving of any respect. Eliza is seen as someone who has no emotions or opinions, not only by Higgins, but also by her own father. When Eliza first arrives at Higgins' house, he torments and intimidates her, saying that she has no feelings that they "need to worry about." Later, Alfred Doolittle states that Eliza is "just a woman and doesn't know how to be happy anyway" (Shaw 60). This is shocking since these words come from the mouth of Eliza's own father, who should be supporting her instead of degrading her. Eliza is therefore devalued not only because she is lower class, but also because she is a woman. Contrary to upper-class opinion, Eliza proves superior to those higher up in society, and even though her transformation occurs externally, she remains independent and stubborn. Before meeting Higgins and Pickering, Eliza is free and independent from any dominant male figure. She does not need to depend on anyone to make decisions for her or to provide her with money. She goes out every day and earns her own living; no one does it for her. The fact that she got here without the support of her parents is already proof of her superiority. Eliza lives alone, makes her own choices, and doesn't let anyone tell her what she can and can't do, and she does all of this before she even turns twenty! Throughout the play, Eliza does not receive the respect she deserves, constantly being insulted to her face by the people around her. However, Eliza doesn't take the abuse silently. Instead, she defends herself by stating that she has "the same feelings as anyone else." Throughout the play, we can see Eliza becoming, on the outside, less like the maid of honor from the first act, with her speech and appearance changing; however, the fiery spark within her remains there, as strong as it was at the beginning of the play. Eliza has the courage to stand up to Higgins when he confronts her, saying, “I don’t care how you treat me. I don’t mind you swearing at me…. But I refuse to be ignored.” She tried so hard to do her best for Higgins, and what does she get? Nothing. Not even a single word of praise from themen. Eliza tries so hard to act like a lady, but Higgins doesn't treat her as such, and so she realizes that: "...[speaking to Pickering], apart from the things that everyone can understand (the dressing and the right way to behave). speaking, etc.), the difference between a bridesmaid and a lady is not how she behaves, but how she is treated. I will always be a bridesmaid for Professor Higgins, because he has always treated me like a flower girl and always will; but I know I can be a lady to you, because you always treat me like a lady, and you always will.” This means that "while a maid of honor can, by all appearances, become a duchess in six months, the only things that distinguish a duchess are inherited social prestige and money, neither of which she earned nor the other.” This shows that anyone belonging to a lower class is equal to anyone belonging to a higher class. This capitalist society forces women into prostitution due to insufficient income; However, Eliza does not put herself in the situation, making her own choice and marrying Freddy instead of Higgins. For many women, prostitution was one of the only sufficient ways to earn money to support themselves. Many women Eliza's age were forced into prostitution because they normally offered better pay than a woman's usual job. This takes away their independence since they depend on other people to provide them with money, and also takes away their purity because they sell themselves to another person. Eliza does not want to get involved in such situations, which is why she ends up on the streets in bad conditions instead of earning money and having the physical security of prostitution. Shaw expressed these concerns by speaking through Higgins who observes that: "A working-class woman of Eliza's age looks like an exhausted chore of fifty a year after her marriage” and the same character’s graphic description of Eliza’s life if she returned to the gutter. : “Work until you are more of a brute than a human being; then cuddle, argue, and drink until you fall asleep.” Echoing Shaw, Higgins warns Eliza that marriage into the upper class is not the solution to her feelings of insecurity: "If you want to be a woman, you'll have to give up feeling neglected if the men you know don't don't spend half their time whining. on you and the other half gives you black eyes.'" This is one of the reasons why Eliza does not want to marry Higgins since that would be legal prostitution and would only allow for benefits anyway. Although most girls usually have no choice in prostitution, Eliza finds a way to succeed, by marrying Freddy and facing economic problems instead of marrying Higgins and having all the money. she wants. Bernard Shaw shows that women, especially those of the lower classes, can only push the limits in a capitalist society even Eliza, who has proven herself to be the quintessential woman, still needs support; financial to finance his flower shop Freddy, Eliza's husband, is also poor, and neither of them has a job of their own and therefore has no means of supporting themselves Even though Eliza has demonstrated that. she is strong and independent, that is not enough to find her a job, especially since she is a woman. Their response is to turn to the two men with money: Higgins and Pickering. They must now rely on both men to make ends meet; Eliza and.