One might be
tempted to say that the pig-headed Henry Higgins learned nothing from Eliza Doolittle, but
that's not entirely true. While he continues to treat her rudely and orders her around as if she
is his errand-girl, by the end of the play he has developed a grudging admiration for her
newfound spunk. She is no longer afraid to fight back against him. He says, "I like you
like this." He also praises her strength of character. He even tells her she is throwing
herself away on Freddie, saying she could marry a king if she wanted.
Higgins
also expresses surprise when Eliza informs him that she learned how to be a lady from
Pickering's example, not from Higgins, indicating that Eliza's good opinion means something to
him.
In the end, Higgins has, in fact, brought a statue to life, as in the
original Greek myth: Eliza becomes her own person, independent of her "creator." His
behavior may not change, but he has possibly developed an awareness that Eliza is a human being,
not just an experiment in linguistics.
No comments:
Post a Comment