In many works of fiction, houses take on symbolic importance. Such houses may be literal houses or unconventional ones (e.g., hotels, hospitals, monasteries, or boats).
Either from your own reading or from the list below, choose a work of fiction in which a literal or unconventional house serves as a significant symbol. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how this house contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
In your response you should do the following:
Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation.
Provide evidence to support your line of reasoning.
Explain how the evidence supports your line of reasoning.
Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.
In many literary works, a house serves as a place of imprisonment for the character. This shapes the way characters understand themselves and others. In Pygmalion by Geoge Bernard Shaw, this idea is explored through symbolism, by presenting Henry Higgins house/laboratory as a place of entrapment for Eliza Doolittle, the author suggests that a taste of luxury deprives one of going back to their original life. Ultimately, the work reveals that opulence is not only enticing but restrictive.
The significance of symbol is first evident in Act 2 at Higgins' at home Phonetics Laboratory where Eliza is trained to drop her flower girl-cockney accent and pick up refined Victorian English. While Eliza switches from abrasive to refined diction, she is still internally the same person. Here, the author uses the laboratory, a place where Eliza was trained asa symbol for linguistic elitism and a golden cage, imprisoning Eliza for her want of social respect. Through the use of diction, the author emphasizes the double standards of the Victorian Society. People who earlier were patronising ,demeaning, and dehumanising her now treated her with respect and courtesy: this made Eliza feel like a person of respect for the first time. She for the first time had a taste of respect and only craved more for it. This reveals the vainness of respect and the condescension prevailing in the society
This idea becomes more pronounced when tries to visit her friends at Tottenham Court road. For instance, she feels displaced among them after experiencing the luxuries of Higgin’s home and cannot seem to connect with them like she did earlier. Here the author uses irony to illustrate that despite being the same person inside, the external appearance (fine dresses and good diction) does not allow her to relink with them. As the result, the relationship between her inner and outer self parallel her friend's way of living and her new way of living highlight the class disparity to whom Eliza has become a prey to.
However, the meaning of this relationship is not entirely straightforward. While the home functions as a place of restriction for Eliza, restricting her descent back to her normal life, it is also true that Higgin’s house serves as a place for her transformation and reformation; helping her become a lady and worthy (according to victorian standards) of respect. This tension suggests that Eliza is torn apart between her refined and her root self. Rather than presenting a simple rag to riches tale, the author implies the complexities attached to someone finding their way through the new echelon and the tempting nature of upper class.
Ultimately, the use of symbol reveals the convolutions as well as prohibitions of splendour. By Eliza’s duality, the author critiques society and class. The work suggests that true reformation lies not in your external appearance but in the ability to go back to your roots.