How it is appropriated from the Pygmalion Myth
The Pygmalion idea is creating a physical human being form that is not alive. But then it comes to life. The concept is shown through The Silver Metal Lover. Silver the robot is originally a machine for entertainment. He has no emotions, no feelings and no soul and the reason for his existence is simply to “amuse and give pleasure”. However, during the time he spent with Jane, he is not a robot but a real human being. Jane pays respect to him, treats him as an equal and most importantly, loved him. This is very similar with the Pygmalion Myth as Pygmalion treats Galatea as if she is real and loved her. In the end, Silver developed a soul and returned Jane’s love, thereby indicating that Silver is now truly alive. He is a real human as he now has a soul. This is similar to the time when Galatea comes to life, as she was then a real human.
One significant difference between the myth and the novel is that Pygmalion in the novel is a girl instead of the novel, while Galatea is a male robot. Also, the male dominant idea in the myth disappeared. Instead, the author mainly concentrates on creating equal status between Jane and the robot. However, both texts valued love and romance above all things. While other values such as family relationships are less important. Language appearance is also an important idea in the novel. Silver’s appearance, is far above all man. For example as Jane’s friend Egyptia said: “Beauty, acrobatics, tenderness, humor, prowess. It’s ruined me for a man for weeks.” Jane fell in love with him because of his beauty and perfection. Therefore, appearance plays a key role in the novel as well as the Pygmalion Myth.
Techniques
The story is told in first person. This helps the reader to gain a better understanding of the inner feeling of the persona. This is very effective in terms of a love story. From the use of first person, Jane’s love for Silver can be clearly seen. This is also suitable for a robot story as it implicitly suggests that robot cannot think for themselves and thus lack emotions. This also creates suspense as everything is told from the persona’s point of view and she does not know what to expect.
The story has an interesting twist at the end. As Silver is taken apart, which figuratively suggests that he dies, his soul speaks to Jane through the séance table. This is unexpected as the story is set in the future where superstition is incongruous. Furthermore, a robot that develops a soul is an unpredictable phenomenon as there was no sign from Jane’s point of view that Silver has feeling towards her. She simply thought that Silver is always happy because he is programmed to do so. She did not notice that she was the one who transformed him into life.
Similes and metaphors are used to describe the robot. For example, “his eyes were like two russet stars.” This technique is highly effective when describing the astonishing beauty of the robot as it assists the reader to visualize it. The audience also gains a positive view towards the robot even though he is considered a “danger” that rivals real humans.
Comparing with Pygmalion the play
There are some similarities between the story and the play. The most significant one is that they all display the Pygmalion Myth concept of transforming something to another. For example, in the play, Eliza is transformed from a common flower girl to a duchess. While in the story a robot is transformed into a real human being. Appearance plays a key role in both texts. In the play by Bernard Shaw, changing Eliza’s appearance is one important factor when transforming her. While in the novel, it is Silver’s appearance that attracts Jane. Also, both “Galatea” changed due to the influence of other people. In the play, Higgins is the one who transformed Eliza, dressed her, taught her how to speak like a lady and act like a lady. In the novel, it is Jane’s love that influenced Silver to develop a soul and emotions.
However, a range of differences exist between the texts. The relationship between man and woman portrayed in the play Pygmalion is not shown in the novel The Silver Metal Lover. While males always seem to be dominant in the play, “Galatea” in the novel is portrayed as a male who possesses much inferiority as he is designed to please people. However, the novel also tries to create an equal status as Jane still respects him. The settings of both texts accommodates this difference in relationship quite well, as the play is set in the past when males are dominant while the novel in set in the future with the assumption that everyone is equal. Also in the play, romance is not valued as much as the novel. Shaw did not intend to create this love relationship between Higgins and Eliza, while in the novel love between Jane and Siler is the main focus and the motif that leads the story on.
