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Definition of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often... read full definition
Act 1
Explanation and Analysis—A Crooning Pigeon:
In Act 1, Higgins and Eliza meet and have a volatile altercation in front of a crowd. As Eliza is crying before him, Higgins uses a simile to make her seem uneducated. The presence of the crowd around them allows Higgins to show off using figurative language and to further make fun of Eliza’s emotional breakdown. His insult is therefore partially for the benefit of those around him; he doesn’t expect Eliza to understand how she is being put down. Higgins says:
Remember that you are a human being with a soul and the divine gift of articulate speech: that your native language is the language of Shakespeare and Milton and The Bible; and don’t sit there crooning like a bilious pigeon.
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Act 2
Explanation and Analysis—A Pebble on the Beach:
In Act 2, Mrs. Pearce uses a simile to express her perception of the situation before her. Eliza has just showed up at Mr. Higgins’s house, and Higgins has considered taking her on as a pupil. Mrs. Pearce is appalled by this proposal and means to talk Higgins out of it. She believes that both Higgins and Pickering are treating Eliza’s arrival too casually. When asked what the matter is, she says:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Well, the matter is, sir, that you can’t take up a girl like that as if you were picking up a pebble on the beach.
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Explanation and Analysis—A Blooming Monkey:
In Act 2, Mr. Doolittle arrives at Mr. Higgins's house in an attempt to get money. He uses a simile as he tries to convince Mr. Higgins to keep Eliza in his care. His goal is to make it seem as though Eliza shouldn’t leave once she’s arrived, even though he is demanding compensation from Mr. Higgins. When Higgins demands that he take Eliza away, Mrs. Pearce interjects and reminds Mr. Higgins that Eliza currently has no clothing. Later in the afternoon, Eliza will be able to change into fancier garments, but at the moment she is stranded. Mr. Doolittle jumps on this line of reasoning, sensing an advantage. He says:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I can’t carry the girl through the streets like a blooming monkey, can I?
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Act 4
Explanation and Analysis—A Caged Bear:
In Act 4, Higgins uses a simile to characterize his experience at a formal event. Higgins’s poor attitude is made clear by how he talks about the event; even though it is an important benchmark in their experiment and important for Eliza, he is dismissive of their accomplishments and instead complains about his boredom. When Pickering asks Higgins whether he was at all nervous about Eliza’s success, Higgins responds with a simile that makes his experience clear:
Unlock with LitCharts A+But when I saw we were going to win hands down, I felt like a bear in a cage, hanging about doing nothing.
Explanation and Analysis—Ugly as the Devil:
In Act 4, Higgins uses a simile in a conversation with Eliza, who has expressed her anger and distress over the callous result of the experiment. Eliza feels cast aside by Higgins and Pickering; she has been continually undervalued and condescended to. After she yells at Higgins and begins to cry, she asks him what her future could even hold. Now that Higgins has deemed the experiment successful, Eliza will be released from his tutelage. Higgins tells her that she could marry, and gives her a backhanded compliment by speculating that many men might like to marry her:
Unlock with LitCharts A+It’s quite a pleasure to look at you sometimes—not now, of course, because you’re crying and looking as ugly as the very devil.
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