Sheila

Question 1

Intro

Answer 1

Presented as the stereotypical spoilt and overprotected upper class woman, but later uses her to reveal youth’s ability to change

Question 2

Para 1

Answer 2

Introduced as a highly privileged but immature young ‘girl’

• ‘very pleased with life’ - contrasts Eva’s agony, who are similar, albeit from different classes therefore pointing out that class can lead to detrimental inequality
• ‘pretty girl’ - not only demonstrates her immaturity but also superficiality — childish colloquialisms (mummy + daddy) — ‘now I really feel married’ Gerald - superficial, viewing the ring as the symbol for her marriage. This is done to criticize how upper-class women were brought up with a childish and superficial nature, ignorant to the lower classes suffering ,
• adjective ‘pretty’ -her prettiness is what makes her value

Somewhat unconventional for her gender- allegory for woman’s suffrage

• structurally more dialogue (defying gender roles)
• ‘the things you girls pick up these days’ temporal phrase ‘these days’- subtly suggest changing society, not fully indoctrinated into capitalist ideologies which allows her to change

Question 3

Para 2

Answer 3

Sheila is presented as very empathetic-
- ‘oh- how horrible’- genuine emotion but clearly an understatement (poor lexicon/euphemism in household) feminine hysteria, but Priestley shows this is need to empathies (allows her to change)
- ‘but these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people’ - empathizes with them, embraces socialism, rejection of capitalism through the semantic field of finance
- ‘-and I’ve been so happy tonight. Oh, I wish you hadn’t told me’- reveals her self-indulgence and immaturity through the pronoun ‘I’, wants to remain ignorant but this later change ‘morbid curiosity’, no longer ignorant.
During interrogation, Sheila is presented as genuinely emotive and responsible but still expresses signs of immaturity and ignorance
- sobs- expresses genuine emotion after realizing that she has ruined Eva’s life by getting her fired
- ‘I was in a furious temper’- childish, unable to control her emotions, but honest
- ‘I behaved badly- I know I did’ - instantaneously accepts responsibility
-Acts as an extension to the inspector to interrogate the inspector, making her the idea recipient- Gerald contrasts her acceptance of responsibility ‘we can keep it from him’. Sheila is presented as more intelligent and aware than the other characters- ‘why- you fool- he knows - she understands that the inspector knows everything, prescient knowledge
-described as ‘impressionable’ demonstrating how the youth have the capacity to change- first deciple
-Rejection of Gerald’s ring- symbolic rejection of materialism, breaking free from Ouspsky’s theory

Question 4

Para 3

Answer 4

End of play- Sheila has clearly understood the inspectors message, unlike the older Birling’s- showing true remorse along with Eric
- ‘It’s you two who are being childish- not trying to face the facts’ - infantilisation of the older Birlings reveals the shift in power and rapid maturity facilitated by the inspector- no longer uses childish colloquialisms and stops her childish arguments with Eric
- ‘I suppose that we are all good people now’ - sarcastic disapproval of Gerald + older Birling’s lack of remorse contrasting the younger Birling’s, aware of the poor behaviour and need for change
Does this to convey to his audience that the youth are the futures of society and have the capacity to become harbingers of change for a better society