sheila - key quotes

Question 1

‘Mummy - isn’t it a beauty?’ what does this quote show

Answer 1

Stereotypical higher-class woman
As the play opens, Sheila plays the stereotypical young, pre-war, higher-class woman whose role is to marry well and produce children. She is excited to be marrying a good-looking, wealthy man and shows off her expensive engagement ring.

Question 2

‘Mummy - isn’t it a beauty?’ - what is the meaning of the quote

Answer 2

Child-like
She uses the noun Mummy when talking to her mother - this language suggests that she is quite child-like at the start of the play. That she feels like she needs to show off her ring also suggests she is childish. Priestley uses this to highlight how much she changes later on.

Question 3

‘Mother, I think that was cruel and vile.’ - what does this quote show

Answer 3

Breaking social rules and maturing
By Act 2, ‘mummy has become ‘mother’ in Sheila’s eyes. She has shifted from her initial child-like behaviour to telling off her mother and openly disagreeing with her. This was completely unacceptable in pre- war etiquette. This suggests that she is so upset and angry that she is happy to break social rules at this point.

Changing relationship with parents
Her using the more formal word ‘mother’ suggests that she is annoyed with Mrs Birling, and that she refuses to be viewed as a child at this point. She may no longer feel a sense of closeness with her mother. Her illusions (false images) of her parents have been shattered by the Inspector’s interrogation; her parents are not who she thought they were.

Question 4

‘It frightens me the way you talk.” what does the quote show

Answer 4

More socially aware
Sheila becomes more socially aware and more upset by the family’s actions as the play goes on. By the end of Act 3, she openly admits to Mr Birling that his and Mrs Birling’s attitudes are scaring her because they refuse to admit that they have done anything wrong.

Worries about parents’ attitudes
She worries that her parents have not learnt anything, and so could do the same thing again and cause the death of another person.

Helpless
She feels helpless because she cannot convince her parents to reconsider their attitudes.