Analysis of Character Traits of Professor Higgins (Pygmalion) - Book Report/Review Example

Pygmalion – Analysis Assignment A – Analysis of Character Traits Higgins Introduction In the play Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw has created memorable characters. What makes these characters memorable is their distinct personality traits that make them stand apart. In this essay, we are going to discuss three such distinct traits of the main character of the play, Professor Higgins. The essay will also portray if these traits change or develop over the course of the story. Character traits can be identified in thinking, speaking, and actions of a person. We are going to analyse the following traits of Professor Higgins: 1. Thinking – He is absent-minded 2. Speaking – He is harsh and bullies people around him 3. Actions – He is shy and aloof Let us look at these in detail. 1. Thinking – He is absent minded Although Higgins likes orderly things around him, he is extremely absent-minded, probably because he expects others to remember his daily necessity things and supply them to him whenever he needs them. He appreciates cleanliness and even instructs Mrs Pearce that she should give Eliza a good bath, burn her dirty clothes, and wrap her in a brown paper till her new clothes arrive. Mrs Pearce chides him for using foul language and even forbids him to use the same in front of Eliza. He swears and says that he doesn’t use foul language at all. He doesn’t even realise that he is making a mistake because of his absence of mind. He is equally absent-minded in regard to people around him. He refuses to acknowledge Eliza’s efforts in making successful his experiment and training and talks about her as if she is not around. He has a row with her and then comes back for his slippers. This infuriates Eliza immensely, and she hurls the slippers at him. This scene perfectly depicts that absence of mind is a prominent trait in Professor Higgins. 2. Speaking – He is harsh and bullies people Higgins bullies people because he thinks he is extremely intelligent and everybody else is beneath him. He talks to everybody in this way. He speaks his mind but in a very harsh and hurting way. In Act I, when Eliza approaches him to be trained, twice he speaks to her so badly that she gets up to go. Only when Pickering manages to pull him in a bet, he manages to ‘see’ Eliza with a renewed interest. Eliza continues to take his brunt, because she sees that she is going to get better in life after the ‘experiment’ is over. Higgins is also terribly headstrong and likes to get things done his way. He is harsh if he is not heeded, bullies people around, and becomes extremely stormy and rough if someone argues with him. He refuses to see and accept other person’s viewpoint. The only reason the audience puts up with his behaviour is because he is clean at heart and doesn’t have malicious intentions. 3. Actions – He is shy and aloof The fact that Higgins is in fact shy and aloof is a sheer contradiction to his bullying and stormy appearance. His aloofness primarily stems from his superiority complex. This trait of being shy and aloof intrigues a reader the most. He is quiet in the company of Hills or in social gatherings, because he genuinely doesn’t know what to say. He has a loud audacious language and tone, but that acts like a façade for him. Pickering asks him about his intentions towards Eliza. Higgins admits that he has clean intentions in regard to Eliza because women are like blocks of wood for him and he sincerely believes that they can be made the way one wants to. The other side of the statement is he intends to stay away because he is shy. He is not able to place Mrs Hill and her daughter because he only remembers their phonetics. He has a single minded devotion to his studies and he only thinks of people as objects of study and not human beings. His aloofness and shyness creates a smokescreen for him in front of people. Conclusion Higgins comes across as character of contradictory traits for the reader. We have analysed three distinct traits of Professor Higgins. These traits stay very much constant throughout the play. He is absent minded throughout the play and only acknowledges Eliza as a subject of study and experiment. He is extremely insulting to her throughout the play. The only change one sees in this trait is when Eliza puts her foot down and refuses to take anymore bullying from him, he appreciates that and is able to ‘see’ her again with renewed interest and respect. He also continues to be shy and aloof throughout the play. Professor Higgins thus remains the character with sharp but contradictory traits which don’t change much in the play. Assignment B – Man versus Society conflict in the play Pygmalion Man versus society conflict is predominant in the play Pygmalion written by George Bernard Shaw. In the era in which the story takes place, society was dominated by class and gender issues. Man versus society is a conflict that is highlighted throughout the story. Eliza is a simple girl who sells flowers to make her living. The play depicts her struggle against the societal norms to break the mould she has been confined to and create her own rightful place. The play denotes various stages of this conflict. Initially, when Eliza overhears that Professor Higgins can train her in language, she looks at language development as a tool to rise in the society. Her aim is to start a flower shop instead of selling flowers in the street. She wants to be financially stable, have respect, and be treated with dignity. These would not be high expectations for a person born in higher classes, but for Eliza these are the things to strive and struggle for. Therefore, she approaches Higgins and bears his ruthlessness and eccentricities in order to progress and uplift her in the society. In the later stage, when Higgins introduces her to Hills, she surprises everyone with her outspokenness, which is very endearing. She comes from a background which is not sophisticated at all. In her efforts to be accepted, she behaves in exactly the opposite way as compared to what she is expected to do. In this scene, although the reader acknowledges Higgins’ efforts behind Eliza’s gradual transformation to sophistication, one also notices that Eliza herself is willing to put all the efforts required which will make her more acceptable in the society she dreams being a part of. The presenting of Eliza in ambassador’s party is an indication that Eliza’s transformation is complete. Her struggle should come to an end at this stage in the play. The reality is, however, different. Although Eliza’s methodical transformation is seen in the play, time and again through various characters Shaw has mentioned the uncertainty of future the change is going to bring in Eliza’s life. The seeds of uncertainty are seen from the first act of the play. It reaches its climax when Eliza questions Higgins about her future. She has learnt the sophistication and the language which cannot be a part of her earlier life. She cannot go back to her previous life. She, however, cannot go ahead with her future as well, because she is extremely uncertain about it. The struggle for existence and acceptance in the society continues for her even though ambassador’s party is over. At the end of the play every reader wishes Higgins and Eliza to be romantically involved. However, Shaw has deliberately kept the end ambiguous, as Eliza’s struggle continues. The ambiguity is due to the fact that both Eliza and Higgins are fundamentally different people and their personalities do not match. Although societal class as a point is not highlighted, it stays in the background for the reader to notice it. The climax of man versus society conflict is reached in the last act when Eliza confronts Higgins with her new found dignity and respect. The conflict is resolved by Eliza’s decision to leave the Higgins’ house and take control of her own destiny and life even if the struggle seems to continue for her. Read More