"The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she's treated." - Eliza
This quote by Eliza sums up the play for me. Higgins went through the trial of transforming Eliza into what he deemed as an "acceptable" member of society only to destroy her in the end by stating that it was him and only him that deserved credit for her transformation. He totally disregarded Eliza's own intelligence, the fact that she was able to become someone who was the total opposite of what she originally was. Eliza was smart, witty and tenacious but Higgins only saw someone who was dirty, poor and illiterate. At first I thought that Higgins intentions were admirable, but now I think that they only reason he did this was so he could prove that proper speech and clean clothes could change the fact that Eliza was a commoner in the eyes of society.
In the end, Eliza made the right decision in leaving Higgins and pursuing her own life. Higgins never would have let her forget where she came from. Even though Freddie was not really the man of her dreams, at least he treated her with respect and admiration.
The quote you began with is central to the play. If the difference lies in how they are treated, and someone like Higgins treats them all the same, then what does that seem to suggest? That the difference between a lady and a flower girl is illusory.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. Higgins only taught Liza because he was getting selfish pleasure and ego-massaging out of it. He never really cared about her future or the potential she had to be something so much more than just a flower girl. I don't think it could be said in a better way that "he would never have let her forget where she came from."
ReplyDeletePerhaps Higgins is a bitter misogynist, considering his constant berating and criticism of Liza. She never seems to be good enough for him.
Your comment, "Higgins went through the trial of transforming Eliza into what he deemed as an 'acceptable,'" points out the irony of Higgins' remark that "I cant change my nature; and I dont intend to change my manners" (Act Five). Mrs. Higgins clearly deems her son's behavior less than "acceptable." Since Higgins remains so enthralled with his mother, wouldn't you think he might change for her?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't that make Eliza an even more admirable character? She changed her manners because she desired to do so; she didn't change her nature because she didn't need to!
I think that Higgins's disdain doesn't only apply to Eliza, but to anyone else he speaks to. You say that he "never would have let her forget where she came from," but I think he looks at everyone else in the exact same way. In the beginning he easily rattles off where everyone is from, and bases his view of them on that one fact. If they're not from an important enough place, they're not worth his time. And if they are from a well-to-do part of town, he would probably find some other reason to look down on them. He'd probably look down on me for beginning a sentence with "and." Higgins sees the worst in people and that's all he sees.
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