Six Degrees of Separation and My Fair Lady

Both John Guare's critically acclaimed play Six Degrees of Separation and George Bernard Shaw's musical My Fair Lady tell the tale of a young person that is confined to the lower class because they possess traits that society deems as inferior. In the case of Six Degrees, because Paul is black, he is seen as substandard to the white upper class but, under the right circumstances, could fit in with the upper class. However, in My Fair Lady, Professor Henry Higgins argues that one's accent and way of speaking determine their place in society, and believes that by changing a person's accent they can change their place in society. These ideas reject the principles of Social Darwinism, the belief that a certain group with their indigenous traits are destined to stay rigidly in their social class. 







Paul and Eliza struggle with living in the lower class of society, and both find "teachers" familiar with the ways of the upper class that teach them these customs. Trent Conway is even compared to Henry Higgins because of the way he is able to make Paul learn how to fit in with the upper class as Higgins did with Eliza. The way that one speaks is shown to be extremely important if one wants to assimilate themselves with the wealthiest class of society; both Trent and Henry express how significant the way their "students" speak or the terminology they use to conform to rich culture is. Paul's ebonic accent and Eliza's cockney accent are considered to be certain characteristics that are associated with the poorer class. Trent and Henry's idea that they could teach Paul/Eliza to speak differently, and thereby appear aristocratic, opposes the theory of Social Darwinism because it suggests that the poor can rise from their "natural" position in society. 

Although Paul and Eliza are driven by their own desires to ascend the social ladder, and while they do eventually overcome the ideology of Social Darwinism, the fact remains that they are not able to achieve this themselves. They are only able to accomplish their goals with the help of the rich. This brings up the question of whether or not one is truly able to realize the dream of success without those who are already successful. Even then, the irony remains that the very teachers that were so eager to help Paul and Eliza did not do so out of their own kindness and compassion, but rather out of personal gain. Trent is so desperate for a lover in Paul that he swears to help Paul at any cost; "I don't want you to leave me, Paul. I'll go through my address book and tell you about family after family. You'll never not fit in again. We'll give you a new identity. I'll make you the most eagerly sought-after young man in the East" (79). Similarly, Higgins is only willing to teach Eliza after his colleague offers to pay for her, as initially she cannot afford speech lessons. The fact that Trent and Higgins need incentive to offer aid to Paul and Eliza suggests that the ideas of Social Darwinism are so deeply infused in social culture that they have almost become accepted truths in place of outrageous circumstances where one is unable to rise from the lower class by themselves.