The analysis of from class gap angle

张萌

【Abstract】：This paper mainly analysed the ancient myths and how Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw rearrange it.Woman independence is an important part in this novel.The movie directed by George Cukor use a different way to show this story.

【Key Words】：Woman independence  character  class gap

“Since light travels faster than sound，people appear bright until you hear them speak.”says the playwright and the critic George Bernard Shaw.We have to admit that some people are physically smarter than common people，they may have a high intelligence quotient，but as nothing is perfect，usually these people are not good at dealing with emotional problems.

This kind of people is used to be at the top of mountain，be the center of life.They would do anything that seems right or seems reasonable，they do it with no concern of other people`s feeling，no consider of what is likely to occur.This kind of people may ruin someone`s life with an unconscious mind.

Who am I aimed at is the character Henry Higgins in the novel by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw.This famous literature is based on a beautiful Greek mythology.Bernard Shaw continued this mythology.As we all know，Pygmalion is the king of his country.but his wife is not even a human，the huge gap between them can`t be eliminated.

Henry Higgins is the incarnation of Pygmalion，he is a noble linguist，who studies the science of speech.He does phonetic researches of English dialect and has already made high achievement.One rainy night，he met with a poor girl named Eliza who makes a living by selling flowers.Because of a bet，he reformed Eliza into a elegant woman.He never loved Eliza，but poor Eliza fell in love with the man who completely changed her life.Henry Higgins does not care about Eliza at all，he only care about whether he could win in this bet.At the end of the story，Eliza left Higgins and married a young man named Freddy who treat Eliza as she is his true love.

Woman independence is always the topic in literature.Eliza win her dignity through a way of leaving her love.Sadness，despair，helpless，these negative feelings are even better than living with a haughty professor."You see，Mrs.Higgins，apart from the things one can pick up，the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves，but how she is treated."[，adapted from，directed by George Cukor，02：34：01.]Eliza belongs to lower class where fruits and vegetables and flowers are not be seen as food or a kind of ornament，they are the money for living in the world.It is exactly wretched clothes and dirty face make Eliza who she is，she is free of love and happy for her life，there is no bound before she met professor Higgins.The gap between different classes is impassable，but Eliza tried it and made it，at least she represents independence and never-give-up spirit of lower class.She bravely faces the reality that professor Higgins does not love she，even if she still holds the hope，so she chooses Freddy，a man who is not as bright as Higgins，not as wealthy as Higgins，but is willing to wait for Eliza for a whole night in the street where she lives.

Professor Henry Higgins represents the upper class，the haughty and arrogant people."If you can not appreciate what you have，then get what you can appreciate."[George Bernard Shaw，，杨宪益译。]says professor Higgins.He received high education and be treated like a gentleman in any occasions，but inside of his mental environment，he is as rude as a rural man.

Class gap is horrible，Bernard Shaw shows us this opinion through his words.In ， at the beginning of the novel，it describes a noble lady want her son to find a carriage for the weather begin to rain after they came out of the music hall.For the people who just finish a concert，the horses are transport tool that served them not be caught in the rain.But for the people stand before the music hall selling fruits and vegetables，horse is the backbone of a family.This is the huge difference between classes，something that seems useless or meaningless for the wealthy people is vital to make a living for the poor ones.

How a person behave is the most directed way to distinguished whether he or she belongs to the upper class.Professor Higgins have to teach Eliza how to walk，talk，address a duke，a lord，a bishop，an ambassador in six weeks，but he never thought of calling off the bet，still believe that nothing is more important than take a human being and change her into a different human being by creating a new speech which can fill up the deepest gap that separated class from class.

People from upper class don`t usually care about other people`s feeling.When professor Higgins won the bet，he celebrates the victory with his friends but leaving Eliza alone in the dark.The excitement from the immense achievement washed over him."The silly people do not know their silly business"[，adapted from，directed by George Cukor.]，he is indeed a selfish guy thought he should get a medal or be even made a knight for successfully fooled everyone.

People from lower class though lack of money，they have something tough to make up this weakness.Professor Higgins is cold，unfeeling and selfish，but Eliza is independence，brave and  reassuring.Eliza is completely strong enough to fight for herself."What a dominated fool I was to think you were the earth and sky."Eliza realized that "There will be spring every year without you，England still be here without you，there will be fruit on the tree and a shore by the sea，and there still be rain on that plain down in Spain，even that will remain without you！"[，adapted from，directed by George Cukor，02：40：13.

]What a beautiful and powerful counterattack！

參考文獻：

Bernard Shaw.[M].北京：中国对外翻译出版社，2002.