Identity And The Fluidity Of Society

Identity and the Fluidity of Society It is no secret that people are complicated animals, a diverse mix of biology, culture, and personality that a single role in society cannot encompass. Eliza Doolittle from George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion is an excellent example of how while we are often told that socio-economic class is a concrete, unwavering box where movement is limited at best, it is really a loose web of arbitrary parameters. A person cannot be trapped in a certain place in society because where someone is in society is interpreted differently by everyone around them, depending more upon their complex identity than their status at birth. Where one finds themself in relation to others is based in their identity. Identity is not a solid part of a person, but rather a constantly evolving mixture of biological and societal markers. Sometimes, aspects of one’s identity will change into
One of the things Eliza values the most about herself is her morality and dedication to being virtuous. These core values are part of what truly makes Eliza who she is, more than other aspects about her identity such as where she lives or how she speaks. She spends most of the play confirming, “I’m a good girl, I am;” (16). Even after Higgins changes most of her life, the way she speaks, the way she acts, her clothes, when she finds herself feeling exposed and sold she wants nothing more than to return the a time where it felt easier to maintain those virtues which are so important to her. “I sold flowers, I didn’t sell myself. Now you’ve made a lady of me and I’m not fit to sell anything else. I wish you’d left me where you’d found me.” (52). This dedication to her values show that even though Eliza’s identity has changed quite a lot, defying the place in society where she was born, she is still Eliza Doolittle to her