Middle class is supposed to be a comfortable level in the social hierarchy- they had enough to spend on leisure activities and for enough food on the table. They worked hard just as the lower class, but did not have the family history to be in the upper class; lower class looked up at them while the upper class respected them enough to give them a nod. The middle class tends to distance themselves from the lower class because they want to be seen higher than them and try to fit into the classifications of middle class by their speech, manners, and clothing style. This is how the classes are allocated and the standards they are held by in order to be classified into the particular class. Middle class morality was best portrayed through Alfred Doolittle before and after he gained her wealth.
Alfred recognizes that the lower class has more freedom than the upper classes because they cannot afford to be moral so they are not bound by any rules or standards. He was even willing to sell his daughter to Higgins for five pounds just so he could make a profit out of the life that Eliza has even though he has distanced himself from the role of being a father and a husband to her mother. He is not expected to be a good father although that is something we would hope ever father strives to be, and he is not expected to be married. He also mentions how the middle class morality discerns which of those in poverty deserve the charity from the upper classes, and it is unfair because poverty is poverty- there should be no distinguishing morals for who deserves the help and who does not, even the undeserving such as Alfred. Alfred also mentions how “it’s a dog’s life anyway you look at it” because both the upper and lower class have its pros and cons, but the rules and standards that the upper class are held by tae away the freedom that the lower class have. He values the freedom than the class ranking.
When Alfred gains wealth and shows up at Higgins’s household to tell him of his “unfortunate” condition. Alfred is now bound to the standards of the middle class and is expected to conform to them. Doolittle is deeply upset by this because it means that he has to give up his ease free way of living life- he now has to dress properly, speak sophisticatedly, adapt to the new manners expected of those in middle class, and marry his lover because “it is the proper thing to do”. He is expected to give to charities and care for Eliza, his daughter who he threw out of the house so that he can earn for himself. He wants to be in the lower class again but the wealth is tempting and now he can indulge in all his activities without worrying about his source of income. Money tempts him to stay in the middle class- money was enough to give up freedom. His freedom was bought by the middle class.
Shaw is suggesting how ridiculous all these standards of class distinctions are because it is not based on anything internal- it is based on how one presents oneself. In fact, even a poor flower girl can just dress up nicely, learn to speak proper English, and she can be passed off as a Hungarian princess. Looks are deceiving and because of the setup of the Victorian social hierarchy, everyone is deceiving. The upper class, which is supposed to be a comfortable class with luxuries the lower class could never imagine of having, are the ones who are slaves to society. The oxymoron lies in the fact that we assume that the lower class are slaves to the upper class, yet they have more freedom than them. The lower class are not bound to any standards, but the upper class is.
Alfred recognizes that the lower class has more freedom than the upper classes because they cannot afford to be moral so they are not bound by any rules or standards. He was even willing to sell his daughter to Higgins for five pounds just so he could make a profit out of the life that Eliza has even though he has distanced himself from the role of being a father and a husband to her mother. He is not expected to be a good father although that is something we would hope ever father strives to be, and he is not expected to be married. He also mentions how the middle class morality discerns which of those in poverty deserve the charity from the upper classes, and it is unfair because poverty is poverty- there should be no distinguishing morals for who deserves the help and who does not, even the undeserving such as Alfred. Alfred also mentions how “it’s a dog’s life anyway you look at it” because both the upper and lower class have its pros and cons, but the rules and standards that the upper class are held by tae away the freedom that the lower class have. He values the freedom than the class ranking.
When Alfred gains wealth and shows up at Higgins’s household to tell him of his “unfortunate” condition. Alfred is now bound to the standards of the middle class and is expected to conform to them. Doolittle is deeply upset by this because it means that he has to give up his ease free way of living life- he now has to dress properly, speak sophisticatedly, adapt to the new manners expected of those in middle class, and marry his lover because “it is the proper thing to do”. He is expected to give to charities and care for Eliza, his daughter who he threw out of the house so that he can earn for himself. He wants to be in the lower class again but the wealth is tempting and now he can indulge in all his activities without worrying about his source of income. Money tempts him to stay in the middle class- money was enough to give up freedom. His freedom was bought by the middle class.
Shaw is suggesting how ridiculous all these standards of class distinctions are because it is not based on anything internal- it is based on how one presents oneself. In fact, even a poor flower girl can just dress up nicely, learn to speak proper English, and she can be passed off as a Hungarian princess. Looks are deceiving and because of the setup of the Victorian social hierarchy, everyone is deceiving. The upper class, which is supposed to be a comfortable class with luxuries the lower class could never imagine of having, are the ones who are slaves to society. The oxymoron lies in the fact that we assume that the lower class are slaves to the upper class, yet they have more freedom than them. The lower class are not bound to any standards, but the upper class is.