Sheila Flashcards
“Was it an accident”
-> people of higher class couldn’t fathom the idea of a person or a lower class willingly ending their life due to the struggles they have had to endure
-> reflects how Sheila has been protected her whole life and is ignoratnt towards others struggles
-> could also Sheila and others of higher class as naïve, showing how they are wilfully ignorant towards the struggles of the poor and working class.
Sheila, who has been protected her whole life by her parents and Gerald, has not yet witnessed the harsher side of it, acts as a foil for Eva smith who had to endure many atrocities her whole life due to her not being as privileged or of a higher class without anyone to protect or help keeps her safe
“Oh why had this to happen”
-> The phrase “had this to happen” is a passive construction, where “this” (the tragedy) is the focus rather than the person who caused it
-> The passive voice reflects Sheila’s inability to take direct responsibility over her actions, she isn’t admitting that it was her fault Eva got fired from Millard’s.
-> Reflects the recurring semantic field of responsibility across the play
The line comes when she mentions that the people in the shops were giving her looks, this shows how she wasn’t actually sad that Eva died, and that it was her fault. She is more embarrassed that she was caught, and is upset she can’t go back to millwards as her reputation has been tarnished
Was she pretty
-> reflects how Sheila was very superficial
-> Would not have really cared for Eva of she wasn’t pretty to look at
-> Eva smiths death didn’t really mean much to her, all she cares about is if she’s pretty not the fact that the committed suicide
• Willful ignorance (naivety)
Could also reflect gender stereotypes of the time where a woman being Pretty was the most important thing about her
