Pygmalion Essay
In Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Eliza Doolittle was previously a flower girl on the corner of Tottenham Court Road. She was taken in by Henry Higgins to learn proper English and soon was transformed into an upperclass woman. During her transformation, Eliza lost her independence. This meant that she could not make her own decisions, she had to do what she was told, and she became reliant on others. When Higgins helped Eliza change her speech, he ended up changing her so much that she lost her freedom.
Due to the changes that Eliza underwent with Higgins, she lost her right to make decisions for herself. Higgins insisted that in order for her to settle after moving on from
Pickering and himself, she would need to marry. Eliza blames Higgins for this requirement when she says, “I sold flowers. I didnt sell myself. Now youve made a lady of me. Im not fit to sell anything else” (Shaw 103). Eliza becomes frustrated when she was told that the only way for her to fit in is to succumb to marriage. When she used to sell flowers, she did not need to live up to anyone’s standards but her own. In fact, her standards for herself were what motivated her to go see Higgins for lessons in the first place: “I want to be a lady in a flower shop stead of selling at the corner of Tottenham Court Road. But they wont take me unless I talk more genteel” (Shaw
38). These changes have stripped Eliza of her ability to do what she wants to do.
In addition, Eliza was obligated to constantly please others. After the garden party, the dinner party, and the reception, Eliza throws Higgins' slippers at him and yells, "there are your slippers. And there. Take your slippers; and may you never have a day's luck with them!" (Shaw
100). This is when Eliza began to realize that Higgins was taking advantage of her simply because she would do as he says without hesitation. She only did this because she believed that it was what she had to do. Higgins trained her in phonetics so she
Due to the changes that Eliza underwent with Higgins, she lost her right to make decisions for herself. Higgins insisted that in order for her to settle after moving on from
Pickering and himself, she would need to marry. Eliza blames Higgins for this requirement when she says, “I sold flowers. I didnt sell myself. Now youve made a lady of me. Im not fit to sell anything else” (Shaw 103). Eliza becomes frustrated when she was told that the only way for her to fit in is to succumb to marriage. When she used to sell flowers, she did not need to live up to anyone’s standards but her own. In fact, her standards for herself were what motivated her to go see Higgins for lessons in the first place: “I want to be a lady in a flower shop stead of selling at the corner of Tottenham Court Road. But they wont take me unless I talk more genteel” (Shaw
38). These changes have stripped Eliza of her ability to do what she wants to do.
In addition, Eliza was obligated to constantly please others. After the garden party, the dinner party, and the reception, Eliza throws Higgins' slippers at him and yells, "there are your slippers. And there. Take your slippers; and may you never have a day's luck with them!" (Shaw
100). This is when Eliza began to realize that Higgins was taking advantage of her simply because she would do as he says without hesitation. She only did this because she believed that it was what she had to do. Higgins trained her in phonetics so she