Comparison of representations of femininity in Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.
Comparison of representations of femininity in Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.
In Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, we see two main female characters in each work. The works both use these characters to present questions against the general attitude towards women at the time. Antoinette is an outsider in both communities she lives amongst in a similar way Eliza is shown to be an outsider in the surroundings she is brought into by Higgins.
In act one Eliza is introduced as a flower girl. Her major concern here is about being mistaken for soliciting, instead of selling flowers 'They'll take away my character and drive me on the streets for speaking to gentlemen.'. She has a fear that her character will be destroyed by such an indictment: Here Shaw reflects a real fear felt by women of that class at that time. The daughter's remark to Higgins shows her fear at being out amongst disreputable classes 'Dont dare speak to me.'
In act two when Eliza goes to Higgins' home she establishes that she has a right to be treated like a lady 'If you was a gentleman, you might ask me to sit down'. The characters of the two gentlemen are built upon from act one, Pickering is shown to be much more polite towards Eliza to which she reacts to favourably and Higgins is shown to be much more aggressive to her 'Somebody is going to touch you, with a broomstick, if you if you dont stop snivelling. Sit down.' His manner allows him to exert control over Eliza. When Higgins decides to use her for a bet, he shows his complete lack of feeling for her as a person. Pickering goes along with this bet and both men proceed to see it as an experiment. Later on Eliza's father Alfred Doolittle comes into the action, his dialogue represents a more extreme view upon women 'Take my advice, governor - marry Eliza while she's young and dont know no better. If you dont you'll be sorry for it after. If you do she'll be sorry for it after; but better her than you, because youre a man, and she's only a woman and dont know how to be happy anyhow.' Doolittle here uses his daughter to try and get money from Higgins. The dialogue shows they are both using Eliza, Doolittle to get some money and Higgins as an experiment and as a bet. Mrs. Pearce is the only other woman in this scene, her opinion is clear that she feels that Eliza should do as she is told by Higgins. Although she reflects more thought than the gentlemen on Eliza, she shows concern at how Higgins will use her;
MRS PEARCE. Well, the matter is, sir, that you cant take a girl up like that as if you were picking up a pebble on the beach.
HIGGINS. Why not?
MRS PEARCE. Why not! but you dont know anything about her. What about her parents? She may be married.
She also shows concern about what would happen to her after the
experiment 'And what is to become of her when youve finished your teaching? You must look ahead a little.'
Throughout the act Eliza protests that she is a 'good ...
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MRS PEARCE. Well, the matter is, sir, that you cant take a girl up like that as if you were picking up a pebble on the beach.
HIGGINS. Why not?
MRS PEARCE. Why not! but you dont know anything about her. What about her parents? She may be married.
She also shows concern about what would happen to her after the
experiment 'And what is to become of her when youve finished your teaching? You must look ahead a little.'
Throughout the act Eliza protests that she is a 'good girl' elaborating the fear she has in act one, that people might think a girl of that class who managed to support herself would be a prostitute.
In act three we see Mrs Higgins assert her authority over her son, we see from what is presented to us that she has independence and is a powerful presence in her sons life, this is confirmed by Higgins' opinions on women in general 'My idea of a loveable woman is somebody as like you as possible' Mrs Higgins shows concern over what the two men are doing with Eliza, she feels that Eliza will be at a disadvantage after the experiment '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!' This reflects some of the fears Mrs Pearce has over their treatment of Eliza, both these characters are asking questions the audience are meant to consider. Mrs Higgins shows her authority when she reprimands the two men for not treating Eliza like a living being 'You are a pretty pair of babies, playing with your live doll.'
The dialogue at the beginning of act four between Pickering and Higgins show their complete disregard for Eliza's presence. At the end of this Eliza suddenly reacts to Higgins' treatment of her as a result of her pent up angst, it is quite aggressive when she throws his slippers at him 'There are your slippers. And there. Take your slippers; and may you never have a days luck with them!'. Her fears begin to reflect those of Mrs Higgins and Mrs Pearce 'I sold flowers. I didnt sell myself. Now youve made a lady of me I'm not fit to sell anything else.' Her fear is of what will happen to her after the experiment is over. Higgins keeps his authoritative tone throughout their conversation, however in act five he loses control after she leaves him. When Higgins goes to see his mother she confirms that Eliza had not been treated fairly by them and they had shown no appreciation for. To Higgins she says that she would have reacted worse than Eliza 'And then you were surprised because she threw your slippers at you! I should have thrown the fire-irons at you.' Eliza shows how much needed this recognition was to her when she says to Pickering 'the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated. ... I know I can be a lady to you, because you always treat me as a lady, and always will.' The dialogue here between Higgins and Eliza shows a turning point for Eliza, she is now calmer and it is Higgins who is agitated and loses control. Eliza holds power over him as he pleads with her to come back.
In Wide Sargasso Sea the character of Antoinette narrates the first part of the novel. We see in the opening pages the sinister nature of the language, we see her loneliness and isolation. Her and the other women in her family are affected by the fact that they are caught between two
communities in the island, her mother uses the word 'Marooned' to
emphasise this. Her mother is not prominent in her life and it seems the black nurse Christophine is is the dominant woman in Antoinette's life 'Christophine found me when it was nearly dark, and I was so stiff she had to help me get up.' She is shown to be quite different from the other women in the novel.
During the events of the fire we see how Antoinette is only partly involved in the action 'I was so shocked that everything was confused.' She also becomes concerned with her appearance ' "Your hair will grow again" she said. "Longer and thicker." "But darker" I said'. As a child she is obviously disturbed by the surroundings in which she is bought up and the way she is treated by white newcomers and black ex-slaves makes her vulnerable. The convent she goes to is a way of making her docile, to give her order, 'This convent was my refuge, a place of sunshine and death where very early in the morning the clap of a wooden signal woke the nine of us who slept in the long dormitory.' In this way her relatives will have an easier job in marrying her off and she will be easily controlled by her husband. In the second part of the novel the narration becomes that of Antoinette's husband. We can see that he feels he has sold himself to Antoinette 'Dear Father...I have sold my soul or you have sold it,' but we get the overwhelming impression he is in control in the wealth and property she has 'No provision made for her'.
His lack of respect for her as an individual shows itself in the savage sexual passion he feels for her 'the sight of a dress which she'd left lying on the floor left me breathless and savage with desire. When I was exhausted I turned away from her and slept, still without a word or caress.' Antoinette begins the narration again later on when she goes to see Christophine for comfort. Christophine gives her advice on how to treat her husband 'You ask me a hard thing, I tell you a hard thing, pack up and go.' Antoinette is a victim of justice, in a similar way to Christophine who breaks the law by practising obeah. She tells Christophine what happened when she was married to her husband. ' "Why should I insist on a lawyer's settlement when I trust him? I would trust him with my life," he went on in an affected voice.
"You are trusting him with her life, not yours," she said.' Aunt Cora's protest with Richard Mason gives us an insight into the legal restrictions placed upon married women at that time.
When Antoinette's husband sleeps with the servant Amelie he shows that he has no shame in cheating on his wife but he does regret that he did it with somebody whose 'skin was darker, her lips thicker than I thought.' He goes to doubt his actions towards his wife his reliance on being right is ebbing away. As he becomes more wretched we see it is because of his own distrust of her, he becomes wrapped up in his vengeful feelings. He sees her now as his possession when he calls her Marionette 'That word mean doll, eh? Because she don't speak. You want to force her to cry and
to speak.'
Both the character of Higgins and Antoinette's husband become possessive of the female characters of Eliza and Antoinette, Higgins is accused of treating Eliza like a doll. Antoinette's husband in turn calls her a doll, which is how he sees her as his possession the way treats her makes her become uncommunicative, by calling her a doll he shows how he has turned her into something blank and pliable with no spirit.
The feminist message of Pygmalion shows at the end when Eliza stands up to Higgins and succeeds in liberating herself from his control. In Wide Sargasso Sea Antoinette seeks liberation when she goes to see Christophine for help. At the end of the novel she tries to get out of the marriage legally and bites Mason when she cannot. Unlike Eliza Antoinette's situation means she cannot make a stand against her male counterparts.
Jean Rhys wrote the novel in the nineteen sixties, just when the feminist movement was gathering momentum. She shows a woman whose voice is is not heard in Jane Eyre, Rhys wanted to give a voice to this woman to reflect her lack of liberty. The background of racial unrest in the novel reflects the time at which Rhys was writing. At the time the black civil rights movement was starting in America women and black people identified their respective lack of freedom in society, this is reflected in the novel as Antoinette feels she identifies more with the black community due to their lack of freedom.
George Bernard Shaw reflects the attitudes of men towards women in the time he wrote the play. The fact that Eliza could be picked up and used like a doll. Shaw uses class as another division between the characters, the fact that Eliza is working class adds to her vulnerability. Her violent reaction to Higgins in act four is representative of the aggressive, often, violent protests of the suffragettes at the time. These differences represent the differing time in which the works were written, what was happening politically and socially during the authors lives. The class and race elements put the two main characters in different situations also. Both women though share the fact that they conform, or attempt to conform, to the modes of behaviour that are expected of women in society those conventions considered feminine. The reaction of these characters against those conventions is part of the feminist message in the two works.
Bibliography:
Jean Rhys. Wide Sargasso Sea (1966)
George Bernard Shaw. Pygmalion (1916)
