Shelia

Question 1

Addresses her mother as “mummy” - Act 1

Answer 1

• highlights her childish behaviours and like a child she is also naive

Question 2

(half serious, half playful) Yes - except for all last summer, when you never came near me, and I wondered what had happened to you. - Act 1, gender

Answer 2

• Through the Juxtaposition stage directions “half serious, half playful” Priestley hints at how upset Shelia is with Gerald
• Sheila acknowledges that Gerald has been trying to be apart of the family though the answer “Yes” the hyphen following immediately shows that Sheila vacillations over that point, alluding to a discrepancy between what Gerald as said, and what Sheila knows, or thinks.
• The fact that Shelia is attempting to confront Gerald shows how she is resisting typical gender roles of the time - where women would be submissive towards their husbands which 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
• This suggests that she is not as naive and shallow as she first appears
• This quote also points out that not everything is perfect in the world of the Birling’s and that just because they have wealth, doesn’t mean they have the glamorous life

Question 3

“is this the one you wanted me to have” - Act 1, gender roles

Answer 3

• pronoun “you” suggests how Shelia had no say in the ring, which reflects on how women had little control over their lives during this period.
• ‘wanted’ creates a sense of ownership and entitlement- it is almost as though he has a right to make Sheila’s decisions for her, as her husband to be
• Slightly selfish and self-centered – still points out her own self interests
• Reflects how the upper-class only care about themselves and continue to ignore the suffering of the lower class.
• A ring is a symbol of not only love, but a covenant between two parties- it is supposed to be emblematic of a mutual agreement between two people
• Conversely, since Gerald had the final say on which ring he presents to Sheila as a supposed token of their love, this implies that their relationship isn’t reciprocal in nature, but is in fact controlled entirely by Gerald

Question 4

“now I really feel engaged” - Act 1, gender

Answer 4

• Could suggest, that like her father, she is also very materialistic as all scepticism of Gerald’s faithfulness to her is gone once the ring is shown

Question 5

“She’s got a nasty temper sometimes but she’s alright really” (spoken by Eric)

Answer 5

• A really good quote to establish ‘Sheila in a nutshell’: at Millwards in the past she proved that she did indeed have a ‘nasty temper’ but she turns out in the play to be ‘alright really’. If a question comes up on Sheila’s character development, then this quote is a good place to start as it essentially summarises the movement in her character: could even use it in an introduction?
• Shows Eric understands his sister (just like ‘you’re squiffy’ shows Sheila understands him – see quote 1 in Eric section.)
• The siblings understand each other yet their parents do not understand their children

Question 6

“Nothing to do with you, Sheila. Run along.” - Act , said by Mr Birling Gender

Answer 6

• He treats her like a child with simple orders and imperatives, such as ‘run along’. He underestimates her significance
• upper-class women were constantly shielded and treated like children in order for them to remain innocent

Question 7

“Oh – how horrible! Was it an accident? “ - Act 1, social class, Gender

Answer 7

• Reveals how naïve and innocent Shelia is, reflecting the naivety of upper-class women
• Questioning the inspector foreshadows her curiosity and her ability to accept socialist ideas proposed by the inspector

Question 8

“I’ve been so happy tonight. Oh I wish you hadn’t told me.” - Act 1, social class

Answer 8

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Question 9

“Pretty?” - Act 1, social class, Gender

Answer 9

• Highlights how much vanity has control over Shelia’s life, she is blinded by it
• Could be a reflection of upper-class women upbringing : they are taught that the greatest virtue is to be pretty in order to do well in life
• The absurdity of the question in such a serious situation could mirror how Priestley thinks that it is absurd for beauty to be taught as the greatest virtue for women

Question 10

“But these girls aren’t cheap labour – they’re people.” 0 Act , social class, social responsibility

Answer 10

• Shows that she feels sympathetic towards the lower class
• Beginning to see the lower class in a more humane light, rather than focusing on the unnecessary factors such as where they were “pretty” or not
• Displays a sense of responsibility- first sign of socialist sign through the use of the hyphen, Priestley forces the reader to pause as Shelia realizes the value of human lives
• “Cheap labour” suggest that the upper class see the lower class as barely useful people who could easily be replaced

Question 11

“recognises it with a little cry, gives a half-stifled sob” - Act 1, social responsibility

Answer 11

• She is obviously upset when she realizes what she has done. Her feelings reflect her socialist views, in contrast to Birling, who shows absolutely no remorse at all.
• Dramatic tension is created by only letting characters see the photo one by one

Question 12

“(miserably) So I’m really responsible” - Act 1

Answer 12

• This is a sign of curiosity and growing in maturity which is part of Sheila’s character development
• By using the word ‘responsible’ it shows the audience that she values the Inspectors message and is learning from it
• Accepting responsibility makes Shelia a more likeable character and could be used as a message to show that socialism is better for society

Question 13

“Why- you fool- he knows … you’ll see. You’ll see” - Act 1

Answer 13

• Displays her as an intelligent character as she is the first to understand how judgement is inevitable – contrast to the widespread idea at the time that women were intellectually inferior to men
• “you’ll see” and it’s repetition highlights Shelia’s high level of understanding about what is going on

Question 14

“(cutting in) You’ve made up your mind I must obviously be a selfish, vindictive creature.” - Act 2

Answer 14

• The stage direction (cutting in) highlights the power that Shelia has gained since the Inspector has come in = she is now more confident and represents a generation of women under socialism – the audience are able to see the freedom that women will be able to have if they turned to socialism
• The use of the harsh adjectives “selfish” and “vindictive” depicts Shelia as wicked and spiteful which is enhanced by the metaphor “creature”, suggesting how she believes her treatment of Eva was inhumane
• This demonstrates how regretful she is and how she is willing to take responsibility

Question 15

“(she goes close to him, wonderingly.) I don’t understand about you.” - Act 2

Answer 15

• “wonderingly”= adverb= highlights the impression that the Inspector/socialism has on the young and how in awe she is
• By the end of the play when the mysterious nature of the Inspector is revealed, Sheila’s perceptiveness is also revealed through foreshadowing as she is the first the suggest that the Inspector is not all that he seems

Question 16

“you mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl.” - Act 2, social responsibility, classes

Answer 16

• Metaphorical description of a wall is a subtle message from Priestley to the audience about the need to break down class divide and instead work together
• Sheila went from “mummy” to standing up to her mother, showing how she is maturing as she learns the full moral issues of society

Question 17

“(rather wildly, with laugh) No, he’s giving us the rope – so that we’ll hang ourselves.” - Act 2, social responsibility, social justice

Answer 17

• Suggests how she feels that she deserves the same fate as Shelia, highlighting how guilty she feels
• Implies that not taking responsibility is the equivalent to hanging yourself which stresses to the audience the importance of social justice

Question 18

“well, we didn’t think you meant Buckingham palace” - Act 2, gender

Answer 18

• Sarcasm = unusual in Edwardian society, breaking the social norm
• Highlights how confident she has grown

Question 19

“You were the wonderful fairy prince. You must have adored it, Gerald.” - Act 2, gender, class

Answer 19

• bitterly sarcastic language shows Sheila’s rightful anger at Gerald.
• ‘fairy prince’ sheds light on why Gerald may well have become so involved with Daisy – he was enjoying the hero status and ego trip that this phrase implies
• the metaphor is also an immature and childish perception of love and life
• Fairies aren’t real the same way her relationship with Gerald was based on illusion and false faith
• Could be argued to show Sheila’s jealousy of Eva = class and privilege is not a measure of happiness, Priestley could be arguing that money isn’t as important, community is

Question 20

“You and I aren’t the same people who sat down to dinner here” - Act 2, social responsibility

Answer 20

• Maturity shown, especially through the pronoun “I” as it shows that she is able to recognize her own personal growth
• at the beginning they were acting like a sweet couple but the secrets between them have been brought to light through the inspector shown in the lighting from the stage directions where initially it is ‘pink and intimate’ showing their perfect relationship becomes ‘brighter and harder’ showing the flaws in their relationship

Question 21

“(After Mr Birling says, you must understand that a lot of young men) don’t interfere, please, father.” - Act 2

Answer 21

• “father” contrasts her childish nature from Act 1, when she called him “daddy”
• Use of the imperative “don’t” highlights her confidence which harshly contrasts the adverb
• “please” as women had to be submissive at the time. This is a demonstration of Sheila’s conflicting personalities
• The impression of the Inspector is also highlighted as she interrupts Mr B in similar ways to the inspector
• The short, snappy sentence exposes Sheila’s newfound confidence and authority

Question 22

“(with sudden alarm) mother – stop – stop!” - Act 2

Answer 22

• repetition and exclamations show Sheila’s desperate sense of urgency.
• Sheila warning her mum not to continue blaming the father of the child
• Sheila realizes that Eric is the father before her mother does – shows Sheila’s intelligence
• Also shows Sheila’s decency as she tries to save her mother from embarrassment despite her mother doing nothing to deserve Sheila’s support

Question 23

“you’re beginning all over again to pretend that nothing much has happened” - Act 3, young vs old

Answer 23

• Shows how Shelia continues to hold on to the Inspectors message
• Not as an aggressive opposition to her brother, she seems frightened but doesn’t challenge enough
• This could be a reflection of how Priestley believes that the youth lacks the impetus to make a positive impact and how it is up for the older generation to secure change

Question 24

“(bitterly) I suppose we’re all nice people now.” - Act 3, social responsibility, young vs old

Answer 24

• The adverb “bitterly” suggests how she is beginning to resonate with the pain and struggle of the lower class and how she is willing to change her ways, so the fact that her parents and Gerald aren’t disheartening to her
• This also reflects her anger and frustration with her parents and Gerald
• Unconcerned for the legal situation, she instead learn form the moral lesson that they should be better human beings

Question 25

“(flaring up) Well, he inspected us all right. Social responsibility,” - Act 3, young vs old

Answer 25

• “flaring up” highlights how incredulous the older generations beliefs are
• Anger = contrasting behaviour to the expectations of women being submissive= breaking the mould