One of my favorite characters from these acts is Mrs. Higgins. Despite her son's mischievous behavior, she keeps a graceful and calming attitude about her. I also enjoy her character because she is one of the only characters, perhaps besides Mrs. Pearce, that can actually relate to Eliza and actually cares for her. She can see the harm the men are going to cause Eliza when everything is said and done, yet she cannot seem to convince anyone of this. Mrs. Higgins does not directly interfere, however. Rather, she lets things fall into place. I think she handles the situation this way because there is no use trying to convince Henry that he is doing wrong and she knows this. Also, there is no convincing Eliza that this is a bad idea either because she is so dazzled by the idea of moving up in society. Mrs. Higgins does allow Eliza to stay with her after her fight with Henry and seems to become her confidant in this way. Mrs. Higgins just seemed like one of the more genuine and admirable characters in the play.
I loved the scene where Higgins and Pickering are crowded around Mrs. Higgins, shouting over one another in excitement over Eliza's progress. This really made me laugh because both men are so consumed in their perspective of the experiment that they don't even notice that they are bombarding Mrs. Higgins. Instead, they just fuel each other to become louder and more obnoxious. This is one of the only times where I saw Mrs. Higgins lose her cool as she shouts at the men to stop bothering her and then claims "men, men, men!!!" as an end to the act. I thought this was an interesting way to end the act. The hysteria of the men has caused Mrs. Higgins a sudden outburst against them. I'm wondering what Shaw meant to imply by doing this. I also wonder if there is some tension between the genders and if Shaw is playing on this idea.
I'm sure Shaw meant to create some tension between the sexes both with Mrs. Higgins and Col. Pickering. Both characters are somewhat sensible, and allow for a certain air of coolness amongst Eliza and the excitable Prof. Higgins. Mrs. Higgins seems to be the only trustworthy character in this play, which creates an escape from the push and shove of life at Prof. Higgins' home. The manner in which Mrs. Higgins handles herself, and her son, displays her true character and genteel upbringing, and gives a somewhat role model for Eliza to aspire to.
ReplyDeleteYou said Mrs. Higgins is the only one who cares about Eliza, but does she really? I wonder if she really cares about the girl, or if she is more concerned about how the "experiment" and it's "aftermath" will affect her son. I agree, she is a perfectly graceful woman, but even the way she treats Higgins when he shows up ("I told you not to come to my at-home!"), it makes me think she might have a bit of selfishness in her.
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