Who Henry Higgins is
Henry Higgins studies speech with such precision that he can identify where people come from simply by listening. When he first meets Eliza Doolittle in Covent Garden, he records the sounds of the crowd around her. His skill impresses the strangers sheltering from the rain, but his manner gives Eliza cause for alarm.
What Henry Higgins wants
Higgins wants to prove that training alone can make a street flower seller pass as a duchess. When Eliza comes seeking lessons for work in a flower shop, he becomes absorbed in the challenge. He drills her impatiently in new sounds, treating her more as an experiment than as a person.
Henry Higgins and the others in the story
Colonel Pickering shares Higgins's interest in language and offers to pay the experiment's costs if Higgins succeeds. Yet Pickering's courtesy toward Eliza contrasts with Higgins's insults and careless treatment of her.
Mrs Pearce warns Higgins about his language and habits, while his mother questions his plans for Eliza. Higgins sees his rudeness to everyone as honesty, but the women recognize the harm his carelessness can cause.
Questions
What does Henry Higgins teach?
Henry Higgins teaches phonetics, the study of speech sounds. He trains Eliza to change her accent and pronunciation.
Why does Henry Higgins teach Eliza?
He takes up her training to test his boast that speech can make her pass as a duchess. Eliza's own aim is more modest, she wants work in a flower shop.
Is Henry Higgins kind to Eliza?
Higgins is often rude and careless toward Eliza, despite his skill as a teacher. His interest in her progress does not mean he understands her feelings or considers her future.