Paradox is a contradiction of an accepted opinion that proves to be equally true in some

contexts.
Shaw is regarded as a phenomenon because he is a mysterious creature whom it is difficult
to agree with and probably more difficult to understand.
He has been often misunderstood because he is not only a prince of satirical wits but also a
master of paradoxes. He believes in Jesus and His teachings but not in the Christ and the
Christianity, he thinks in wholesale law, he is a republican but not a believer in modern
democracy, he considers medical
science to be a branch of witchcraft.

Paradoxical Treatment of Pygmalion Myth

The play is based on Greek myth of Pygmalion-Galatea relationship. Like the Greek
sculptor, Higgins, the phonetician, initiates a complete transformation of Eliza instilling her
with a new life. But unlike Pygmalion in the Greedk myth, he does not marry his Galatea,
Eliza. Such conclusion is not acceptable to anti-romantic Shaw. In his philosophy the
marriage of Higgins and Eliza is highly improbable. According to Shaw an intellectual like
Higgins cannot fall in love with sentimental Eliza and cannot live up to her emotional
requirements. Similarly, Life force directs Eliza to choose
Freddy as her husband who will make better father for her children.Thus, Shaw contradicts
the usual romantic conception. Outward development of Eliza is accompanied by her mental
development. She over-comes her ignorance and servility and emerges as an independent
woman.She discards Higgins's influence and continues to live on her own terms
after marrying Freddy.

Higgins as a Paradoxical Character

Some of Higgins's eccentricities make him a paradoxical character. Higgins engages himself
to teach Eliza speaking English with perfect enunciation. His training also includes
acquainting her with etiquettes and manners of an aristocratic lady. But from Mrs. Pearce's
remarks we come to know that Higgins himself does not always stick to some basic
manners,
abruptness of his manners sometimes tends to be offensive. His fury accompanied by
swearing is a paradoxical comment upon his profession and his boosting of English as a
noble language. His convictions are paradoxical. The sanctity of marriage becomes farcical
when he comments upon incompatibility of man and woman and negates the validity of
marriage.While taking up the challenge to transform "draggletailed guttersnipe" into a
duchess he comments. "What is life but a series of inspired follies? The difficulty is to find
them to do.Paradox is implicit in this comment. He talks about inspired follies which are
different from ordinary
follies. It is for this kind of folly he accepts the near impossible challenge of making Eliza a
duchess.The same paradox betrays itself when Higgins instructs Eliza not to
think about her future instead to think about other's futures and to think about chocolate,
gold and diamonds. The comment is unconventional in nature contradicting the idea of a
young woman's hard effort to build up a bright future for herself. In this case Higgins tactfully
makes such paradoxical comment to serve his selfish purpose of using Eliza as an object for
his experiment in exchange of chocolates and jewellery.
Paradoxical Characters of Doolittle

The character of Doolittle strikes us with his quaint ideas. His

convictions of morality impresses Higgins for their genuineness and he recommends
Doolittle as "the most original ,moralist in England ".'He puts forth -middle-class morality
inside out to show how hypocritically people
of higher class deprive poor people and use morality to meet their own ends.He alao tells
how paradoxical is the treatment of higher class towards poor people. Instead of improving
his poor living condition they aggravate and suppress him labelling him an “undeserving
poor” .However, in reality
he needs their support and aids.
Doolittle's mistress spurns the idea of marriage because she does not want to lose her
dominance over Doolittle. The usual sanctity of marriage loses its significance and it passes
as a threat to her since after marriage. Doolittle will become her lord. The idea holds enough
truth from her point
of view. Such experience prompts Doolittle to ad vise Higgins to marry Eliza as early as
possible to keep her under control.
Also paradoxical is his declination to accept ten pounds from Higgins. He refuses to accept
anything more or less than that specified amount. For them, ten pounds is a huge amount
which they do not know how to spend. Naturally, for the excess they will tend to save which
is simply against his
way of life. According to him this instinct to make savings binds a person at the cost his own
freedom and happiness. With five pounds both he and his mistress will have a good time
which ten pounds cannot ensure.
Sudden elevation of Doolittle's financial state cannot make him happy. Here Shaw invents a
paradoxical situation to highlight his queer ideas of life. Though he has become a wealthy
man now, he is no more in a situation to enjoy life's uninhibited pleasure. In anguish he
blames Higgins for his role for such a change in his life. In normal sense his accusation
seems
paradoxical because it is natural for a man to be happy for such acquisition of wealth instead
of being indignant. However, to this man freedom seems more alluring and in this context his
indignation contains some elements of
truth.

Conclusion

Shaw is unusual in dealing life's problem. He prefers to toNow

untrodden path and in this unusualness lies the paradox of his treatment However, in doing
so Shaw never imposes improbable. It is his mastery by which he convinces his readers with
his paradoxical ideas and by his artistry
he makes these ideas appealing.