No. "You certainly are a pretty pair of babies, playing with your live doll," Mrs. Higgins quips to her son, Henry, in Act III of Pygmalion. Though Mrs. Higgins is a woman of society and though she cares for her son, she does not believe that Henry and Colonel Pickering are considering Eliza as a person. Pointing out that both men are looking at Eliza like a doll clearly shows that she does not...
No. "You certainly are a pretty pair of babies, playing with your live doll," Mrs. Higgins quips to her son, Henry, in Act III of Pygmalion. Though Mrs. Higgins is a woman of society and though she cares for her son, she does not believe that Henry and Colonel Pickering are considering Eliza as a person. Pointing out that both men are looking at Eliza like a doll clearly shows that she does not approve of their experiment. At the end of Act III, Mrs. Higgins asks Henry if he's thought about what will happen to Eliza after his experiment is over. Henry shrugs it off, saying she'll be fine and that there is no need to worry over such triviality. "The advantages of that poor woman who was here just now! The manners and habits that disqualify a fine lady from earning her own living without giving her a fine lady’s income!" Shaw uses exclamation points to emphasize Mrs. Higgins' outrage at Henry's attitude and disregard for Eliza's welfare outside of his experiment. She points out that if elevated in society through her speech, dress and manner, Eliza will no longer have an easy time of finding employment. She is already removed from her former social class and, if not taken care of, may end up destitute. Mrs. Higgins is not at all happy with her son. Henry has little time to think on the matter. He has to complete his social experiment and prove he can make a duchess out of a flower girl from Covent Garden through the power of speech.
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