Have you ever read a book and you realized that you can relate to what going on in the story. In the book Pygmalion there are many themes that you could relate yourself to. The story is centered around how a girl who lives very poor turned her life around just by improving her speech. Crazy right? Well let me explain.
The first theme I’m going to use is the importance of the english language. With us living in the south we see this almost everyday. Its amazing how much respect you can gain by using “yes ma’am and no ma’am, yes sir and no sir.” Using certain words can take you a long way. There are ways we can use the language to make people think better or worse about us. There are different ways you can word what you need to say. For example, instead of saying something to someone that could affect their feelings, the english language is set up to where we can find better ways to inform someone instead of hurting them. In Pygmalion, Mr. Higgins was a very clever person and even though he was highly praised in his knowledge of language and speech, he usually said things that would make people feel bad. Its amazing that with just the change of one or two words you can completely go from having what some would consider bad english to good. The way you pronounce words instead of your use of them can also do the same. In the book, Mr. Higgins started Eliza off with helping her with her pronouncement. As the story goes on, she learns to say certain words the correct way. From there he taught her how to properly use them. She went from being a flower girl standing on the corner, to having people think she was of royal decent. This doesn't mean anyone can do this, but it gives us a better understanding of how we speak can affect us.
The second theme I’m going to use is our appearance to others versus the way we really are. There is a difference between personal identity and social identity, even though many would argue they fall under the same roof. This theme fits perfectly along the lines of the saying “don't judge a book by its cover.” In the story I'm sure there were people who looked at Eliza and thought that she was uneducated and would never be able to speak properly. As the story unfolds you realize that she is actually very smart and is able to catch on to things with ease. I can relate my self with this theme because I know some people look at the way I dress or the way I wear my clothes that they may not hold me to as high of standards as they do others. Society is split into three main classes. High, middle, and lower. Just because you may not have as much money as the others doesn't mean you aren't as capable of doing just as well as a person in a higher class. This story shows that anyone is capable of doing what they want. No matter where they come from and sometimes all you need is a little help.
Pygmalion is a good book when it comes to being able to place yourself in a story. Luckily many stories are like that. In this there are many themes that I didn't mention that I could have. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to imagine what they do in comparison with their life.
The conclusion was short because I really couldn't think of much more to say.
