an inspector calls - sheila Flashcards
“how could i know what would happen afterwards” “it didn’t seem anything terrible at the time”- act 1 -sheila
protrays her as an example of how. people fail to consider the consequences of their actions.
this line conveys how people are unable to predict the significance of their actions. this means they must act responsibily and being mindful of what they do.
it is only after sheila learns evas death can she realise the extent of what she caused.priestly illustrates how the upperclasses have the luxury of behaving however they wish and living in ignorance of the consequences, while the lower classes are left to cope with the aftermath in silence. this could be a criticism of the government for enablng tragedy by not forseeing it, such as by not setting up a welfare state.
“these girls arent cheap labour, they”re people” - sheila - act 1
sheila question her father’s descions as well she views his decisions to sack eva was a “mean thing to do” and a ‘rotten shame”- though these words sound childish - they portray her as sympathetic and well meaning.
she explicitly goes against capitalist ideas as workers being purely “labour” and instead shows the audience that “they’re people” which is more reflective of right wing politics
here priestly uses her shrewdness to expose the absurdity of the older generations facades. though these exchanges priestly encourages his audicne to view their elders with cynicism and realise they are perforimg rather than being genuine
“rotten” can also be connected though eva smiths corpse as sheila as well finds out the suicide of eva smith. this is a rather flagrant description that priestly uses as a way to potray the intensity between the family as they are the causation of eva smiths death.
“shame” said by sheila can aslo forshadow what she will soon experience as she finds out that she had also caused eva smith to be fired again for her selfish actions and feels extreme remorse for it.
“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 .
alternativelysheila’s excitement over her engagement ring
suggest the physical token of her engagement brings her more joy than the engagement does .
Her decleration “now i really feel engaged “ implies a material possession is needed for the engagemnt to be real .
The gift of the ring is the thing that connects her to gerald , rather than love .
Priestly presents the issues of a society that places too much importance on physical possessions that have been driven through power and greed as being an upperclass member.
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.
” we’ve no excuse now for putting on airs “ “ we really must stop these silly pretences” - act 2 - sheila
preislty uses sheila to break the upper classes facade of respectability . she tell her family “ embed quote “
showing how the birlings present themselves as more innocent and flawless than they actually are .
sheila understands that the most harmful ascpect of the facade of respectability is that her family are fooled by their own lines , so they are shocked to discover each other’s flaws
prieslty presents the facade of respectibilty as an invention by the upper classes for the upper classes . he suggests the upper classes become convivnced they are perfect , and this leads to a delusion of grandeur that contributes to the class divide
