Disparities In Pygmalion And The Makeover

In the stories Pygmalion and The Makeover, a lower class individual who aspires to have a higher position in his or her career prompts two upper-class citizens for their assistance. Even though the Pygmalion and The Makeover display numerous similarities, the two have apparent disparities. In Pygmalion, the story began with a rainy day, and Eliza was trying to sell flowers on the street when Freddy bumped into her from behind. Eliza then began to shout at Freddy in her unorthodox dialect, and he went on his way. Soon thereafter, Eliza witnessed Colonel Pickering and Henry Higgins, both of whom were very knowledgeable men, conversing in the garden. Knowing they were strong speakers and knowledgeable in dialect, she showed up at Higgins` laboratory
to ask for speech lessons so she will be able to work in a flower shop, and she even offered them money.
At first, Higgins was hesitant that he would be able to help Eliza, and he scoffed at her multiple times. Nevertheless, Pickering remained very polite to Eliza throughout the discussion, and he later took on a bet with Higgins. The bet at hand was if Higgins could turn Eliza into a Duchess, then Pickering would buy Eliza all the materials and clothing she needed for her makeover. Soon thereafter, Eliza`s father appeared on the doorstep of Higgins` home requesting money, but not too much because he didn’t want the responsibility that would come with it. Higgins gave him the money and he didn`t surface again until the ending, but when he did come back into context, he had obtained a large sum of money. At the party, the two men presented Eliza as a duchess and Henry won the bet. Afterwards, Pickering and Higgins were talking about Eliza as if she weren`t there, and she quickly
became infuriated. She thanked Pickering for always treating her like a lady, unlike Higgins who treated her like an experiment, and later that night she left with Freddy. By the end of Pygmalion, it was clear that Henry Higgins remained the same arrogant person he was before Eliza`s makeover.

Likewise, The Makeover also began with a rainy day, and Elliot was delivering beer to a kitchen.
Meanwhile, on her way to the congressional speech for Hannah Higgins, Colleen Pickering accidently bumped into him. Afterwards, when Pickering and Higgins were eating their dinner, they met Elliot Doolittle, and he introduced himself as a beer vendor. Though Pickering shook his hand was very polite to him, Higgins ridiculed his grammar and education. Nonetheless, the next day Elliot (like Eliza) surfaced at Higgins` Office, and he asked for lessons about how to speak properly so he could acquire a job as a sales representative for the beverage company where he worked. But like Henry Higgins, Hannah was weary of teaching Elliot; however, she quickly realized that she could use Elliot for the new election because he had plain folk appeal- something that she lacked. Therefore, Higgins bet Pickering that if she could turn Elliot into a congressman and win the race, then she would be able to keep her parking spot and office. Similarly, Elliot`s mother appeared at Higgins` office one day, also asking for some cash, but just enough to have a good time. However, Allie Doolittle kept resurfacing throughout the course of the film, and unlike Alfred Doolittle from Pygmalion, she remained poor. Additionally, following Elliot and Hannah`s fight soon after the election, which he went down in defeat, Elliot told Hannah to thank Pickering for always treating him like a gentleman, even before
she had a right to, which was similar to how Eliza thanked Pickering in Pygmalion.
Nonetheless, from the beginning of both Pygmalion and The Makeover, it is blatant that there are major differences between the book and the film. For instance, perhaps the most obvious differentiation between the two stories lie in the gender of the characters. In Pygmalion, the well-spoken men Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering make a bet on Eliza Doolittle, a poor, female flower vendor on the streets. However, in The Makeover, the eloquent women Hannah Higgins and Colleen Pickering make a bet on whether they can turn Elliot Doolittle, a middle class beer vendor, into a congressman. In addition, in Pygmalion, Freddy collides with Eliza; however, in The Makeover, Pickering is the one who bumps into Elliot. Also, though Eliza and Elliot both came to Pickering and Higgins to learn how to speak and act properly, Eliza was trying to obtain a job in a flower shop, and Elliot was trying to acquire a job as a sales representative. Furthermore, Henry Higgins was attempting to pass Eliza as a Duchess so he could win the bet with no benefit to himself, but Hannah Higgins was trying to get Elliot elected to congress so her educational ideas could potentially become a reality. Additionally, in Pygmalion, Henry Higgins wins the bet, and he was able to pass Eliza as a duchess. Conversely, in The Makeover, Hannah Higgins loses the bet, and Elliot lost the election. Another disparity between Pygmalion and The Makeover was the ending. At the end of Pygmalion, Eliza Doolittle fell in love with Freddy; however, at the end of The Makeover, Elliot Doolittle and Higgins kissed, and it was inferred that the two would develop into a couple in the future. Unlike Pygmalion, as The Makeover progressed, Higgins became less pretentious and more humane; not only did Elliot have a makeover, but Hannah Higgins had a makeover as well.
All in all, Pygmalion and The Makeover both have their similarities and differences. Indeed, it is obvious that the gender of the characters are reversed, and there are multiple physical differences in the two stories. However, the greatest contrast between the film and the book lies in the emotions of the main characters. In Pygmalion, Eliza`s character was the only one that changed throughout the story; however, in The Makeover, Elliot and Hannah both underwent a transformation throughout the film, and they were able to mutually contribute to one another’s character for the better.