“Can the Subaltern [Teach]?”: A Postcolonial Semiotic Reading of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion

 
Throughout his literary career, George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) used literature as a means to address social issues. In doing so, he succeeded in ‘speaking truth to power’ to borrow Edward Said’s words. Shaw’s dramatic art has often been appreciated for its philosophical undertones and social consciousness. The aim of this paper is to address the oppressive reality women endure in their roles as ‘live dolls’ or ‘toy objects,’ or as being considered merely a means to an end. Here, we investigate whether women can have a say in patriarchal societies by considering one of Shaw’s most discussed plays, Pygmalion (1912),from postcolonial and semiotic perspectives in light of Gayatri Spivak’s influential essay “Can the Subaltern Speak?”. The researcher will also explore how Shaw employs the juxtaposition of characters, conflicts, and settings to signify ideological barriers from a semiotic analysis. The role of women has traditionally been defined  according to models put forward by the male privilege. In Pygmalion, Shaw unequivocally demonstrates how women are marginalized by the indigenous power structure that thrives on patriarchy and class-based privilege, but he also portrays women as equal to men in capability and sufficiently able to confront their male oppressors. By exuding confidence and creating their own spaces to assert their voices against injustices, women break down the barriers that separate them from their male counterparts and share common ground or centric position. In spite of being marginalized, the female characters developed by Shaw possess a strong will and resist forces hazardous to their survival. In Pygmalion, the main character, Eliza Doolittle, is a victim but does not suffer in silence. She is represented as the ideal of a courageous, talented, and determined woman who  rises above societal conventions. Eliza resists imposed authority and the hegemony of the elite classes. Hence, the subaltern, in this play, breaks out in an attempt to be recognized.