مجلة التميز
Volume 4, Numéro 2, Pages 52-61
2022-09-15

Quest Of Socio-cultural Change: Eliza's Metamorphosis In Shaw's "pygmalion"

Authors : Alhanash Abdulmajeed .

Abstract

"Pygmalion" is a signifier of socio-cultural change by the social reformer George Bernard Shaw. Social and cultural changes occur with reference to changes in personal and social aspects like customs, values, attitudes, and socio-cultural norms. This study traces the social equality in a capitalist society as well as the sufferings and struggle of Eliza for metamorphosis in a high class dominating society. It explores the role of education and language proficiency for Eliza's mutation and self-realization. The study is a qualitative study and uses the Marxist theory and the Foucauldian concept of knowledge/power for the theoretical analysis. It concludes that Eliza, the central character, goes under tridimensional stages that meet all the factors needed for social-cultural change achieving independency and self-realization. The metamorphosis process of Eliza is, meant by Shaw, to prove that all social distinctions are mere ego and can be overcome by equality of humanitarian rights mainly education.

Keywords

struggle ; conflict ; education ; power ; change