England was entering an era of reform under the reign of Queen Victoria. During this period, many traditional systems such as education, Parliament and social conventions were under the control of the English people. The English authors of this period perfectly represent the common voice of the Victorian people. They used their work as a way to openly express their criticism of their government; a luxury few others had. George Bernard Shaw, author of Pygmalion and other works, also took advantage of the leniency that accompanied writing about social reform, but in a more dramatic form. Pygmalion is the unconventional story of Eliza Doolittle and her mentor, Professor Higgins. Eliza, a flower girl, goes to Higgins, a linguistics professor, to receive lessons in changing her dialect. Higgins accepts Eliza's offer after making a bet to make Eliza seem like a member of the upper class. The play in its entirety is a satire of the educational and social norms of Victorian England. In Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw uses characterization and relationships between characters to show the lack of domination in education and class systems. The education system and class system lack individualism for the inferior or submissive members of society. Eliza Doolittle's characterization is a stereotypical member of the poor working class, from her occupation as a flower girl to her incomprehensible cockney dialect: "Ouch, eez ye-ooa san, c'est e?" (Me, 55). Her distinct diction makes it easy for the reader to identify which social class Eliza belongs to. Fitzgerald also uses this characterization in his novel The Great Gatsby to show the distinct social classes of each character through the difference in diction in Gatsby and Mr. Wolfsheim (...... middle of paper ...... don't allow However, dominance is not only used by higher members of society, but simply a human trait. However, others argue that the lack of a simple, common language is the real problem illustrated. 'one primary dialect over another is just another display of dominance. For a more just society, reliance on control or domination of another person must be eliminated. are seen in today's society, lead to more serious problems such as long-lasting prejudice and widening economic gaps However, Shaw is not suggesting that the English system should be completely removed. mobility in the system is not as rigid thanks to the removal of domination. deleted, which leaves the question: what can be done instead?