"He never says any such thing, I suggest you read the script again. His suggestion that Higgins employ that 'punishment' is certainly there, but there is no admission that HE actually did it.
Thanks for your suggestion, but to me, the strong implication is that Doolittle himself has hit Eliza with a strap as a form of discipline at some point(s) during their parent/child relationship -- I assume when she was younger and they were living together. If he had never used a strap on her himself, why would he suddenly happen to suggest to Higgins that he might do so? To me, that would make no sense.
"And comparing a situation in Carousel, which is a dramatic musical to a situation in MFL, a comedy, seems a little problematic to me. And apparently to others -- hence the lack of 'angst.'"
I agree, to a certain extent, and that's what I meant about focus and context. But also, I hope it goes without saying that despite the overall tone of MFL being considerably lighter than that of CAROUSEL, the former certainly has some very serious and thought-provoking elements, and the point that Eliza very much wants to escape a hard, cruel, abusive life is one of them. |
