In "Pygmalion," Shaw's conjurer character, Professor Higgins, doesn't perform a traditional conjuring trick with an absolutely empty cloth. Instead, he employs his linguistic prowess to transform Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, into a refined lady through speech training. Shaw's use of the term "conjurer" metaphorically highlights Higgins' ability to manipulate language and social perceptions rather than performing magic tricks.
Higgins takes Eliza, whose speech is filled with Cockney dialect and slang, and through intensive training, molds her pronunciation, grammar, and demeanor to conform to the standards of upper-class English society. Through this linguistic transformation, Eliza appears to emerge from an "absolutely empty cloth" of her former linguistic identity into a new persona, akin to a conjurer seemingly producing something from nothing.
The metaphorical "absolutely empty cloth" represents Eliza's initial linguistic and social status—a blank slate waiting to be filled with Higgins' teachings and guidance. In this context, the transformation isn't merely about changing Eliza's accent or speech patterns but about reshaping her entire identity and social standing. Through Higgins' linguistic tutelage, Eliza gains access to a world previously closed off to her, where her newfound speech and manners grant her entry into higher social circles.
This transformation also underscores Shaw's critique of the rigidity of class distinctions and the arbitrary nature of language standards. By demonstrating the malleability of language and social identity, Shaw challenges the notion of fixed social hierarchies based on speech or upbringing.
In essence, Shaw's conjurer doesn't produce physical objects from an empty cloth but rather shapes Eliza's linguistic and social identity, symbolizing the transformative power of language and the fluidity of social boundaries. Through Higgins' linguistic wizardry, Eliza emerges as a testament to the potential for self-reinvention and social mobility, highlighting the complex interplay between language, identity, and social status in Shaw's exploration of class dynamics and human potential.
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