Pygmalion #1

I immediately knew that this assignment would be difficult when I read the title of this book. Seeing as I have already read this book, it is going to be difficult to give my opinions and thoughts on certain things without using my knowledge of the rest of the book. However, I will try to write as if I am reading for the first time.

I thought that it was interesting that the book begins with the unimportant characters of the mother, daughter, and Freddy rather than the main character. Many novels begin in the point of view of the main character, so we immdiately identify them as the main character and see what they are doing, feeling, seeing, etc. But, because this is a play, this choice suited it very well. You do not watch movies or plays that begin immediately with the main character and their actions. There has to be some scence setting and we often see minor characters before major ones. I thought that this scene was an interesting and engaging way to introduce the main character Eliza, the flower girl.

Obviously, one problem with reading this book is with Eliza's accent. When she had shorter lines, I was able to muddle through and figure out what she was actually saying. But some lines were nearly impossible. I think that this would be an instance in which you would greatly benefit from seeing the play performed rather than reading it on paper.  But, once you got past this, you see that it really does give her a lot a character and immediately makes her stand out from the others in the scene.

I also found the character of Higgins to be very interesting. Like Eliza, his character easily stands out. His use of phonetics is the first thing that interests me. He can identify where a man is from based entirely on his accent. As this was interesting to those bystanders, it is also interesting to me. We also see that he is witty, outspoken, tempermental, rude, but somehow still likeable. He is a man of many contradictions. This is what interests me most about his character.

Because Eliza and Higgins are such differnet and interesting people, they make ideal main characters.