Social Class on Character Identity: Pygmalion and Death of a Salesman

Miranda 1

Social Class on Character Identity In literature, there are many aspects with which a character may be identified. They may be understood through their actions, through their commentary and/or through the opinions of others. Though these are the most prevalent features in defining characters, it is also important to take into account the effects of external factors such as social or physical constraints and how such characters react under their conditions. Specifically, this essay aims to explore the influences of socioeconomic class on characters through the works of George Bernard Shaw and Arthur Miller in Pygmalion and Death of A Salesman respectively. Both of these plays encapsulate the different types of class ranging from low-class, to middle, up to high class and even the subclasses in between. The effects of these social constructs will be examined through each of the playwright's use of symbols and contexts to understand their integration into the overarching themes of both plays: identity and success. From the very beginning of Pygmalion, clothes act as a prominent symbol for identification within these social classes as exemplified by a bystander refuting accusations against Higgins acting as a "copper's nark" when he says "It's all right; [Higgins is] a gentleman: look at his boots." (Shaw Act 1). Higgins' attire acts as the only proof against the accusations but the most striking example of clothing as a marker for social class is the scene right after Alfred Doolittle attempts to exit Higgins' home with the five pounds. When he is interrupted by a "dainty and exquisitely clean young Japanese lady in a simple blue cotton kimono", he apologizes. Shaw himself describes the character as "The Japanese Lady" fooling even the readers until Eliza declares her own father does not recognize her (Shaw Act 2). Though she wears an expensive garment, she still acts with little manners and speaks in cockney. Shaw demonstrates that although clothing identifies with higher social class, it may not be enough to

Miranda 2

deceive others as explained by Mrs. Higgins, "She's a triumph of your art and of her dressmaker's; but if you suppose for a moment that she doesn't give herself away in every sentence she utters, you must be perfectly cracked about her" (Shaw Act). This then raises the question of what it really means to be upper class/wealthy/successful if looking and sounding like it may not suffice. For Willy Loman, in The Death of a Salesman, a distorted interpretation of The American Dream causes him to believe that success and wealth are only by-products of being well-liked. Because of this, he exaggerates his achievements to his sons which generate huge amounts of pressure onto Biff especially. In wanting to raise the perfect sons, it illustrates Willy's detachment from reality. Not only that but by enforcing ideals that he himself cannot live up to, Willy forces his children to perpetuate lies back to him about their own social standings and successes to avoid admonishment. However, Biff's desultory struggle through life is quite apparent and brings about confusion in Willy concerning his son's lack of accomplishments. It leads Willy to imagine his successful but dead brother Ben as a figure of wisdom and guidance, continually asking him for 'the answer to success'. Ben's discovery of diamonds cause him to gain great amounts of wealth which underscores Willy's failures as a salesman through his economic strains. Diamonds also symbolize tangible wealth earned from labour as well as the material goods to be passed on to his children when Ben compares Willy's life insurance to a diamond: "[it is] not like an appointment at all. A diamond is rough and hard to the touch." (Miller Act 2) Until that point, however, Willy viewed the failures as a reflection of his own failure as a father. To escape the reality of a perceived poor economic standing, he escapes into his mind with delusions and hallucinations of an idealized past. Linda argues that the cause for the deterioration of Willy's mental state is due to his poor economic standing. Business is not good

Miranda 3

anymore and being left to his thoughts in solitude for seven hundred mile-long drives, she claims, is the reason why he talks to himself and experiences hallucinations (Miller Act 1). Though she works under the same economic conditions as Willy, her ability to snap Willy out of his imaginations defines her as one of the most grounded characters in the play. Because of this, what she says carries a lot of weight in terms of reality. When Ben proposes a job for Willy in Alaska that will bring riches, Linda replies: "He's got a beautiful job here... Enough to be happy right here, right now. Why must everyone conquer the world?" (Miller Act 2). From this statement, it is clear that Willy's despair concerning his economic status is imagined. The delusion of Willy completely contrasts with Alfred Doolittle in Pygmalion. Doolittle is very aware of his lowly circumstances yet he feels a very real freedom by living for himself and not for others. He asserts that the selfish life to live is one without responsibilities (his fiancée as an exception). At the end of Pygmalion, however, there is a stark parallel that arises between Alfred Doolittle and Willy Loman when Doolittle receives a share from Higgins' millionaire colleague. By rising in social class, Doolittle is forced into subscribing to what he describes as "middle-class morality" which brings about a responsibility/burden in caring for the less fortunate. In the same way, Willy feels the same sort of obligation as a father in providing for his sons. For Willy though, providing for his sons becomes a responsibility due to his misunderstanding of how his sons not being able to provide for themselves. His misunderstanding begins as a salesman; Willy is supposedly a professional in pushing products yet he makes considerably low amounts of commission through it. Not only does his failure as a salesman show monetarily through his career, but it is also evident in Biff's defiance of his father's ideals. Though he is a salesman, he cannot sell Biff the idea, the one 'product', that means the most to Willy: the American Dream.

Miranda 4

Miller's interpretation of the American Dream highly emphasizes the fact that it is a dream: impossible and non-substantive. By Willy's definition, achievement is easily attainable and can be measured through its tangibility. Striving towards these ideals, he loses his own self worth when he agrees with Ben that "there's nothing [tangible]" concerning him "building something with [the] firm" (Miller Act 2). He is convinced that since his 'successes' lack all forms of palpability, they are not real successes at all. This warped ideology exactly contrasts with the reality of Pygmalion when Eliza makes an astute observation: "the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she's treated" (Shaw Act 5). Despite her upgraded speech, all the learned behaviours and the fancy dresses or jewellery, she finds gaining self-respect the most beneficial aspect of her education. Unlike Willy Loman, she evolves from a state of low self-worth to high self-worth more so than from a flower girl to a duchess. Because Willy is convinced that greatness and success are right around the corner for him and Biff, he prematurely identifies with it. Ironically, though he identifies with an imagined success, he looks for the tangible wealth to prove his worth leaving him with a lacking sense of identity. Willy's endeavour to seek such a shallow form of success is depicted in the very beginning of Pygmalion's first act to reflect is superficiality. Almost all major characters are introduced but only through their social standing: The Flower Girl, the Note-Taker, The Gentleman etc,. Without knowing the identities of the characters, Shaw forces his readers to stigmatize them with social constructs. Whether it be a shallow dream of wealth as Willy Loman's definition of success or whether it be Eliza's triumphant evolution into a dignified lady as a definition of success, the external effects of social class on a character's identity is evident. It appears as though, given these two plays, these social constructs may either conquer or be conquered by a character, revealing another dimension to their identity. By incorporating social

Miranda 5

class as a main component in their plays, both of these playwrights have created works which provide a critique on society's constructs as well as the individual identities it encompasses.

Works Cited Shaw, George Bernard. Pygmalion. Pennsylvania State University. Electronic Classics Series Publication , 2004. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. Arthur Miller. Death of a Salesman. pelister publishing. Web. 4 Nov 2013

Miranda 6