Gerald - Relationship with Shiela

Question 1

“Haven’t I? You know I have.”

Answer 1

He’s begging for reassurance and justification from his actions which Sheila is obviously not giving to him.

Question 2

“Except for all last summer, when you never came near me, and I wondered what had happened to you.” (Shiela)

Answer 2

Sheila is resisting typical gender roles of the time – where women would be submissive towards their husbands – and she confronts Gerald about him ignoring her last summer. This shows that Sheila is more socially progressive than her mother, due to her resistance to conforming to typical social gender roles, which outlines the theme of the generation gap and the younger generation being more socialist than the older.

Question 3

“Yes,that’s what you say.” (Shiela)

Answer 3

• She seems as if she doesn’t believe him almost.
• Sheila is resistant to the gender roles typical of the period—the man busy with work, and the woman left alone in the house.