As I first read the book, I felt kind of thrown back in Time. The characters and the way the book was written was traditionally old. The way the character talked with each other and the etiquette was lovely. I really liked the way, how detailed the sceneries where described (at the beginning of Act II).
The Play also has an intriguing way to describe the social hierarchy in Edwardian England. Since the beginning of the book we followed the growth and integration of Eliza in the high-society Englands. Her journey from the lower class as a flower girl to the upper class as a lady is pictured as a often humiliating and difficult experience. Shaw the Author uses Eliza’s transformation as a way to critique he unfairness and destructive of class distinctions and the imitation they impose on individuals (Eliza). The book raises many questions about past society and todays society. In more than 150 years there are still some defects and missing constructions such as gender roles and power dynamics between men and woman. Throughout the play, Higgins treats Eliza as an object and project to be molded and shaped according to his desires. Elizas eventual assertion of her own independence and rejection of Higgins’ control ,challenges traditional notions and highlights he importance of an individual autonomy.
Lastly, Pygmalion is a thought-provoking and entertaining play. It lets us get a picture into the social and cultural dynamics of the early 20th century Englands.It is a wonderful book due to Shaw’s clever writing and appealing characters, and its topics are still relevant to readers today.