The Death of Author in G.B.Shaw’s Pygmalion

Abstract

On the surface, G.B. Shaw’s Pygmaliondepicts the hardships faced by both the student and the teacher in the process of teaching phonetics. Shaw has portrayed Higgins as cold,irrational,selfish, and inhuman who always scolds Eliza while he teaches her and also after the completion of teaching process. But it is neither Shaw nor Higgins who understands this drama as dealing about the relationships between the creator and creation. So, all the characters and events in the play are presented by Shaw as he has seen in his contemporary society. Therefore,the relationship of Higgins and Eliza remains as normal as that of other in the society who always seem to be quarreling with each other. However, on a deep level, Shaw’sPygmaliongives some signals to the readers that the central character of the play Higgins struggles for his existence. The play traces the protagonist’s aim through individual interests and social activities. Through teaching, he tries to define himself as social reformer. Although he tries hard, he is unable to maintain his relationship with his creation Miss Eliza Doolittle. He is only one of the charactersin the play who awakens Eliza’s soul and creates new Eliza from the old one and is also compelled to leave his creation to go along her own way of life.This is a clear indication ofthe fact that the created is no longer in the grip of the creator. The creater can no more manipulate the created. The created goes its own way and is free. It is a striking similarity to Roland Barthes' idea of Death of the Author according to which the meaning of the created text is no longer in the control of the author but is dependent on the way the readers understand it independent of the author's intentions.