A disappointment to women

Read the review of the new broadway musical Pygmalion, a new version from its first, produced way back in 1914. Most people know Pygmalion as My Fair Lady, the film adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn. The writer of the review quipped that the lady sitting next to her at the musical was puzzled about the ending which deviated from the film and previous broadways. In this new version Eliza Dolittle walked away from the eccentric professor Harry Higgins. The reviewer then explained that in the original script playwright Bernard Shaw had a similar storyline but expecting that the audience wanted romance and a happy ending, all the producers, directors and actors changed the script much to Shaw's dismay. Shaw later made known his disapproval. He had intended to bring out the prevalence of class consciousness where people are judged by the accent and manner of speech and dressing. Instead of marrying up to raise her social standing, Shaw intended that Eliza retained her pride, turning away from the social snide.

Now a century later things have come a full circle and Shaw would have been pleased . Ironically however it happens in an environment of increasing inequality around the world.

Shamefully I must admit I would be disappointed with a walk away ending. Although the eccentric professor treated ladies condescendingly, his underlying kindness and love would suffice. That in itself marks the difference between women of my generation and that of the next. We have been brought up to hold the interest of the men in the family before ours. We observe this in our mothers who only expected to be loved and well provided for in return. Of course with higher education our attitude has changed to the need to be independent financially and otherwise. The respect for a masculine hierarchical structure however is deeply ingrained especially in an oriental culture. We were trained in patriarchy. 

Perhaps the cushy feeling of being protected (never mind the subordination) makes me still desire for Eliza Dolittle to marry the fuzzy Henry Higgins instead of her braving the streets of London for a living. It is hard to  change brainwashed ideas of 'our place' in the world, a disappointment to women you may say.