I feel like there is an assumption being made that Higgins and Eliza made the most logical decision, therefore they are happy with their decision, and I don't see that. Also, I don't give anyone the credit of being completely logical in a moment of both intense emotion, and confusion, so I think if Higgins could conjure up anyway to tell Eliza to stay, he would of, but that was not the case. In my opinion, their final decision was not based on anything more than the fact that Higgin's couldn't of asked her to stay even if he wanted to. What I'm trying to get across is the concept that, though it was impossible for the two of them to be together, I feel both of them might never get over the fact that it didn't happen.
All this derives from Higgin's fascination with Eliza. Though argument can be made of what exactly his intentions are, Eliza is an attractive girl that is unlike any Higgin's has ever encountered, and for that reason he cannot put his finger on the finite reason Eliza astounds him. To me it has something to do with the fact of her wit and confidence, regardless of her lower class. Higgins created all of her that appeared prestigous, and high in social class, but he couldn't alter her persona in it's truest form. This made her a mysterious uncomprehendable toy almost to Higgins.
Eliza goes through a similar problem, except her dilemna is much less a controlled choice. Eliza wants Higgins to just cave in and say he wants her. That's why she puts up with all of his slanderous insaults, and disregard of her accomplishments.
In conclusion, I think both of the characters left the situation disatisfied but not surprised, but due to the unforgetable nature of their encounters together. I don't think they'll forget about each other anytime soon, though I also highly doubt they could of ever been together.
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I certainly do not feel that Higgins or Eliza is happy with their decision. However, I do think that Higgins knew what types of things he would have had to say in order to have made Eliza stay with him. The true drama comes from his unwillingness to say the things that needed to be said. I too believe that Higgins was fascinated by Eliza's strength and ability to learn despite her lower class. He loves it. It's the paradox of her personality, the Flower Girl fit to be a Queen, that draws him to her...he's just not willing to let down his pride and ego long enough to admit she means the world to him.
I feel that Eliza's dilemma is a controlled choice because Higgins is a tough man for anyone to put up with several months in a row. She not only wants Higgins to say that he wants her, but she also needs him to acknowledge her worth on the same level he values his own worth. She likes him so much that she needs his approval, even though he is insulting at times. She respects him enough to stick around...
Both characters definitely leave dissatisfied, and I'd be willing to bet they'll both be lonely without one another's company. I think they could get together, but that's a different play altogether.
I totally agree with you man!
I feel like Higgins and Eliza are two people who could have been together, should have been together, and regret the fact that they did not end up together. Throughout the musical it is obvious that they have grown accustomed to one another. Eliza has learned to adapt to her new upper middle class lifestyle and Higgins to the presence of Eliza.
I think Conrad is absolutely right. Higgins has too much pride to admit that he has taken a liking to a mere flower girl. This is the reason that confrontation between these two characters is so intense. Eliza is directly challenging his pride and is trying to force him to treat her with respect.
The thing that i think is most interesting about the relationship between these two characters is the fact that a number of the other characters in the play/musical foreshadow the rocky ending. Mrs. Pearce, Mrs. Higgins, and Pickering all ask Higgins what he will do with Eliza when the experiment is over. In scene three of the musical Mrs. Pearce asks, "...What is to become of her when you've finished your teaching? You must look ahead a little, sir.”. Higgins responds by saying, "What's to become of her if I leave her in the gutter...Well, when I've done with here we can throw her back into the gutter, and then it will be her own business again...". What think is even more interesting is the fact that the stage directions indicate that Higgins laughs, "Pleasantly", at his own comments about what to do with the girl when he is finished.
Higgins did not anticipate the feelings he would come to feel for Eliza. I think Eliza is hit with the same problem. However I think if Higgins were better able to swallow his pride we would have gotten the "Pretty Woman" ending we were all looking for!
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