an inspector calls - gender Flashcards
“men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on businesses. You’ll have to get used to that , just as i did” - mrs birling - act 1
mrs birling actively works to suppress other women and keep them within constraints of societal gender norms.
she tries to pass down her traditional values about women to her daughter. she teaches sheila .to be dependent and loyal to men, suggesting internalised misogyny is passed on through generations of women,
This can portry how she teaches her daughter to resign herself to mistreatment and neglect because it is necessary
the phrase “just as i did” presents it as a tradition through generations and it is evident that mrs birling thinks this is the way gender roles should be.
by caling it “important work”, mrs birling implies only a mans work is valuable
additionally her attitude towards other women is mocking and reductive which mirrors her husbands sexist condescension.she refers to sheila as “hysterical” and “over -excited”. these were terms that were commonly used by men to undermine women. she therfoore uses thse descriptors to invalidate sheilas concerns as irrational and immature . priesly shows how women also used misogynistic or gendered language to dismiss others
“it’s wonderful!” “mummy - Look is’nt it a beauty” “now i really feel engaged” - sheila act 1
sheila at the beginning of the play is first presented as naive , materialistic and spiteful which are all traits that would be typical of female characters in literature. Her fascination with clothes and jewellery as well as being stereotypically feminine, suggests she is greedy and shallow.
she is excited to an almost unbelievable extent by her engagement ring (embed quote)
the use of “mummy” infantitlises her, furtheringher role as a stereotypical naive girl ofthe upper classes
however her materialistic behaviours may be used by prieslty to show how women were conditioned to rely on clothes and jewellry for pleasure and self- expression
priestly suggests how women were so restricted in their lives that they had to rely on material possessions .
sheila wants to understand when gerald “says he’s busy at the works and” can hardly ever find time to come and see the girl he’s supposed to be in love with”- “engaged with a hero” - sheila - act 2
sheila starts to challenge the systems she had previously obeyed. When her family try to excuse her from the conversation , she refuses explaining (embed quote)
prieslty suggests she has recognised her own self-worth, as she is determined to hold gerald accountable for his actions rather than excusing him.
the sarscastic “hero” suggest she no longer respects gerald, and see’s him for the pretender that he is .
when she “hands him the ring”, this is a symbol for how she is rejecting his lies and his control over her . priestly suggests how sheila is able to see through patriarchal inventions, such as marriage , to see that they are tools to control women. Prieslty illustrates how these systems of inequality depend on the silence and compliance of the oppessed in order to survive.
“im not defening him . But you must understand that alot of young men” - mr birling - act 2
after learing of gerlads affair , it is evident that mr birling sides with gerald . he does not care that his daughter has been hurt as the engagment is the most imporant factor to consider.
it is evident that he doesnt think a women should object to a mans desires as he says “embed quote”
this perpetuates the idea that women should tolerate their husbands mistreatment of them rather than standing up for themselves .
mr birlings reference to “ a lot of young men “shows how society believed men had an uncontrolable sex drive , and so mens infidelity was accpeted part of culture
preislty shows how male dominance and male solidarity isolated and ignored women , and that society has taught women to always be subservient to men and their flaws
“wasnt the usual sort”(describing Eva) “i hate these fat old tarts round the town” - eric - act 3
eric’s treatment of eva is an allegory of how most upper class men treated women ad viewed sex. priestly shows how men abused and exploited women , particularly prostitutes, and how they took advantage of desperate situtations some women were in .
this is a bigoted description of women , with profanity “tarts” , showing how he shames women for sex work and displaying sexuality .
audience knows that at this point the it is the family’s fault eva is on the streets.
eric therefore blame the “tarts “ for the situation he contributed to. he also descrbibes eva as not the usual sort to justify why he slept with her . suggesting how she was a more respectable ,refined option, but his actions show how hypocritical he is .
prieslty demonstates how upperclass men condemned prostitutes while simultaneously using them. je suggest how women , particularly of a lower class and sex workers, were scapegoats that men used to disguise their own mistakes and flaws
alongside his bigortry he objectifies and sexualises women .He describes eva as “pretty and a good sport”, suggesting his attraction to her was superficial. “good sport” connotes to kindness and generosity , impling eva tolerated eric while he took advantage of her . “sport” can also refer to a hunting game , presenting women as a prey for men
