Shawn, in the play Pygmalion makes a connection between the famous theory of S. Freud, Oedipus Complex, and one of the characters in his play, Mr. Higgins. Through out the play, Shaw portraits Higgins as a "confirmed old bachelor" (184) who looks for a woman who resembles his mother.
Shaw gives clues during the course of the play as to why Higgins presents himself to be and "most likely to remain a bachelor" (184). His relationship with his mother is very strong. He desires no one than a mother figure to be his wife, " I can't be bothered with young women. My idea of a lovable woman is something as like you as possible" (201). Higgins is not a mature man and has not overcome his childhood stage, in which he had an attraction towards his mother, "some habits lie too deep to be changed" (201). .
Higgins is a boy and the people that know him and that he knows well see him as one. His mother repetitively treats him as a child. She keeps reminding him of how to behave, "If you promise to behave yourself, Henry, I"ll ask her to come down" (234) and how to act "Now, Henry: be good" (235). His mother even makes a comment regarding his treatment towards Eliza and connects it with his childish attitude, "you are certainly a pretty pair of babies, playing with your live doll" (212). .
The absence of a male figure is one of the key factors to as why Higgins psychologically is still a kid. In other words, he could not overcome the Oedipus Complex, and stayed forever in an immature state. His mother does not ignore this situation, moreover she acknowledges the fact that his son will not marry anyone young and that if he does, he will marry a woman like her, "you never fall in love with anyone under forty-five" (201). However, she keeps asking his son "When will you discover that there are some rather nice-looking young women about?" (201). .
The author gives us several signs of Higgins" lack of full psychological development.
