In My Fair Lady, Alan Jay Lerner builds on Galatea and Pygmalion's story by bringing Eliza and

Higgins together, which is vastly different from what Shaw had in mind. One would be horrified to
discover that people are actually rooting for Eliza and Higgins to marry, as that surely qualifies as
a very sexist angle to take and we should have moved past sexism by now. Pygmalion by
Bernand Shaw is mocking society's standards by weaving together diverse literary themes and
ways, one of which is by depicting social life from a womanly perspective at a period when doing
so was still considered to be subversive. Shaw's emphasis on language as a fundamental tool of
power and oppression extends beyond his usual examinations of class, nationalism, and
feminism. Hollywood loves a good love story, but Pygmalion shouldn't be one of them.Therefore,
the separation of the two main characters is inevitable, and the outcome of the play is ethically
appropriate, empowering even.
Before I get to Eliza, I'll try to enumerate all of the intolerable obstacles Henry puts in the way,
some of his faults. To begin with, it really perplexes me that there is a significant age gap between
the two characters - Eliza is 18 and Higgins is a middle-aged, confirmed old bachelor. Henry also
feels he has the authority to direct Eliza's thoughts and behavior, to demand complete obedience.
He feels that her thoughts and feelings are utterly meaningless, and that her needs are
unimportant and should be neglected. He is never happy, no matter how much she changes or
tries to satisfy him, and he stays contemptuous. Not only is he a bully, but every action or saying
of his is profoundly grounded in misogyny to a very large extent:
“Women upset everything. When you let them into your life, you find that the woman is driving at
one thing and you're driving at another.”
“I shall never get into the way of seriously liking young women: some habits lie too deep to be
changed.”
At a turning point, it becomes crystal clear that Higgins is smitten with what appears to be his own
accomplishment. In this way, his narcissistic behavior makes it incredibly difficult to imagine he
ever had affections for Eliza. Even if his sentiments were genuine, he and Eliza would lack the
patience or determination to overcome their many differences .
From the very beginning of Eliza’s stay at 27a Wimpole Street, she is simply perceived as nothing
more than a dog to be trained. Towards the very end, Eliza is increasing her awareness of a
potentially harmful atmosphere that she does not grasp at first. Her dilemma is not the same as
that of a student who falls in love with her teacher; it's more complex than that. Higgins limits
Eliza's freedom by exchanging her obedience for his dismissive, borderline abusive
companionship, but the sensitive nature that he awakens in her in the process is independent of
his presence. Prizing her freedom above all else and refusing to trample on the bare minimum
that Henry could provide, the heroine displays the woman who takes the liberties of a man
unworthy of her concern. Taking this dagger in her and removing it, she “suddenly puts out her
tongue at herself; then leaves the room, switching off the electric light at the door”. Galatea breaks
free, leaving Pygmalion in ruins.