Katie's Reading Reflection on Pygmalion

What really grabbed me in the the story of Pygmalion is Eliza's Character. As a woman in the 1916's she is before in time in the feminist movement. She recognizes the importance of her own self-worth and independence in Act 4 and 5 and realizes that she doesn't have to put up with the shit Mr. Higgins throws at her; he's constant insult, dehumanizing remarks and critics of her. She realizes that she can be whoever she wants and that was a power very few women had during that time period. Eliza's independence astounds me, in a time were women were very much dependent on men.In act five she says, "Girls like me can drag gentlemen down to make love to them easy enough".She recognizes that most women need to find a husband to depend on but that's not what she wants. She could marry Freddy merely because he is so infatuated with her and she has that power over him but she doesn't want to.She aspires more to a life similar to that of Higgins and Pickering, the bachelor life, but without the assistance of someone like Ms. Pearce. In act five she says to Higgins, "you cant take away the knowledge you gave me. You said I had a finer ear than you. And I can be civil and kind to people, which is more than you can... I'll advertise it in the papers that your duchess is only a flower girl that you taught, and that she'll teach anybody to be a duchess just the same in six months for a thousand guineas."She realizes that he no longer has power over her and doesn't deserve to be the muck under his boots but a intelligent, empowered lady with skill.  She recognizes the power she has gained through her experience on Wimpole Street and how it may lead to independence Even though Eliza's character was independent throughout the novel it wasn't until the end when I realized how empowered and independent she truly was. She didn't want charity, all she wanted was to independent, well spoken lady.Which is ironic when you consider the character of Mr. Doolittle who depends on charity as a living. It shows the affect that parents have on their children and the decisions they make.