ACT 2 WK BK NO 8 PGS 129 TO 131

ACT 2 WK BK NO 8 PGS 129 TO 131

(i)                  Catherine calls Paul “a barbarian at heart” because Paul was telling Catherine that he didn’t believe in washing too much. He had blamed her sore throats for her washing her neck too much. For himself, Paul said he didn’t mind washing once a week “to keep up my position” but he thought that washing daily was taking washing too “a ridiculous extreme”. Thus, Paul’s lack of faith in more frequent washing makes Catherine make that statement.

(ii)                Major Petkoff had tried to impress the Russian officers my mentioning to them that that his house had a library. We have heard from Raina that their’s was the only household in Bulgaria to have a library.

         This tells us that Paul Petkoff is boastful and tries to show others that he is in the same league of better than them.

(iii)               The reason Catherine gives for installing an electric bell into the house is that truly “civilised” people do not shout to call their servants. By “civilised”, Catherine refers to people in their strata in society. To Catherine and Paul holding one’s social position is important – thus the reason for the conversation.

(iv)              Paul tells Catherine that civilised people do not hang out the washed for clothes drying in the full view of everyone as Catherine has had allowed for them to be hung on the bushes in the garden.

(v)                The Petkoff’s do belong to the upper strata of Bulgarian society, but Shaw is poking fun at the upper classes of society by showing that their airs are just pretentions and put ons. Thus they are ordinary people who would like to better their position in society by being more socially conscientious of their behaviour in society. We know this from the examples they have given. Paul only washes because he wants to keep up his social position and not because of true concern for his personal hygiene. Catherine only has a bell to impress others about her sophistication – she does not care for the way in which such a behaviour demeans the person called.