The Misogynistic Henry Higgins

The Misogynistic Henry Higgins The key to apprehensiveness George Bernard Shaws Pygmalion lies in understanding the power struggle between the haves and have-nots specific aloney the active and intentional disenfranchisement of women at the turn of the 20th century. At the core of Pygmalion in that respect is a focus on the societal inequities of the day, with Shaw presenting societys treatment of women as property without rights and with little understanding of their purlieu or place in society. end-to-end the 19th century, and into the too soon 20th century, when Shaw penned Pygmalion, British laws and society actively restrained women, two politically and economically. Unlike the United States, women in England were allowed to vote antecedent to 1832 as long as they met the property qualifications, although this only allowed single(a) or widowed women the expertness to vote as all property rights transferred to the husband at the period of marriage. Womens ability to vote was revoked when the 1832 Reform Act passed, as it specifically use the word man to qualify persons. This subtle change in language allowed women to be legally disenfranchised for the first time in British history.

Although many people have interpreted Pygmalion as a play discussing class issues, a close-set(prenominal) reading presents the core struggle revolving around the lack of sex equality at the turn of the 20th century. Henry Higgins represents the societal mentality that women are objects, and nothing more(prenominal). Higgins sees Eliza Doolittle as little more than a puppet to dress properly and teach to give tongue to as he determines. To Higgins, Eliza is simply an object to mold to his will. Throughout the play, Higgins refers to Eliza as less than human, speaking about her when she is in the style as if she was not there, and as if she has no emotions. Higgins believes Eliza is incompetent and unintelligent and frequently dehumanizes her, calling her an insect and speaking down to her. From the beginning, Eliza is... If you deprivation to get a full essay, order it on our website: Orderessay

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