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Does Eliza marry Higgins?
Throughout the play, Higgins makes it clear that he is not interested in marriage. Eliza, though she comes to care for Higgins in her own way, also states that even if he were to propose, she has no intention of marrying him. Higgins pleads with Eliza to return to Wimpole Street and suggests that they, along with Pickering, can continue their relationship as lifelong bachelors. However, because Higgins continues to treat Eliza as his personal secretary and a flower girl, Eliza eventually marries Freddy, who treats her with affection and romantic interest.
What happens at the ambassador’s garden party?
The ambassador’s garden party acts as a test to see whether Eliza can pass herself off as a lady. Furthermore, the garden party determines whether Higgins will win his bet with Pickering. Though the party is not seen in the original version of the play, we learn that Eliza was a success, and that Higgins has won his bet.
What is middle class morality?
Alfred Doolittle considers middle class morality as an “excuse" for the higher classes to ignore him. In this regard, Doolittle sees this form of morality as the specific set of behaviors and manners that separate the middle class from the working class. One’s speech, education, clothing, and manners dictate how the middle class must act to differentiate themselves from lower classes in society. In Act 2, Doolittle refuses to take the ten pounds Higgins offers him for fear of being considered a part of middle class morality. Doolittle views middle class morality as imprisonment, which is shown later in the play when he comes into money and feels like he lost the freedom he once had as a dustman because he is now forced to perform the role of someone in the middle class. Part of this middle class morality includes marrying Eliza’s stepmother for the sake of appearances. Doolittle claims the middle class has “ruined” him and “destroyed” all his former happiness.
Why does Eliza desire to change?
Eliza aspires to work in a flower shop but due to her unsophisticated speech and appearance she is not afforded the opportunity. By learning how to speak properly with Higgins’ lessons, the play suggests that the way in which one speaks, and acts, affects the world around them, and Eliza’s transformation into a lady opens the door for economic and financial mobility. Eliza’s change allows her to articulate her sense of worth and independence and contributes to her rejection of Higgins by the play’s end.
Why does Higgins restrict Eliza when they go to Mrs. Higgins’ home?
In Act 3, the extent of Eliza’s education after months of being taught how to speak and act like a lady is put to the test. In order to ensure that Eliza does not reveal her class background, Higgins instructs Eliza to only discuss the weather and the health of the company visiting Mrs. Higgins. By choosing these two general subjects, Higgins assumes they won’t reveal Eliza’s class position and thus will maintain the disguise of her as a lady. However, in comedic fashion, though Eliza perfectly telegraphs news of the weather, when the conversation turns to her family’s experience with influenza, she shocks her audience by engaging in conversation that is socially improper. Veering away from strictly talking about the weather and the health of those present at Mrs. Higgins’ home, Eliza unconsciously defies Higgins’ orders and reveals the dichotomy between the artificiality of her newly learned speech and the actuality of her class experience.
