Young and Old

Question 1

Give one way Arthur is shown to have old-fashioned views.

Answer 1

Arthur holds the traditional view that children should be obedient to their parents and not challenge them. For example, he tells Eric to “keep quiet”.

Question 2

Gerald is a member of the younger generation, but he thinks and behaves similarly to Arthur and Sybil. Give two examples of this.

Answer 2

Gerald agrees that Arthur was right to fire Eva / Daisy, and he is eager to dismiss the Inspector’s visit and pretend nothing has happened, just like Arthur and Sybil.

Question 3

Find an example of a member of the younger generation challenging the authority of someone from the older generation.

Answer 3

Sheila contradicts Sybil when she says they don’t want details of Gerald’s affair.

Question 4

In Act One, Arthur tells Eric he’s got “a lot to learn yet”. Do you think Arthur and Sybil are really wiser than Sheila and Eric?

Answer 4

Sheila and Eric are portrayed as wiser than Arthur and Sybil. Sheila and Eric understand that they must take responsibility for their actions, unlike their parents. Sheena is also more perceptive, realising that Sybil is being trapped by the Inspector.

Question 5

Summarise the differences between the younger and older generations in the play.

Answer 5

• Unlike Sheila and Eric, the
  older generation don’t learn
  from the Inspector’s visit.
  e.g. when Sheila says Sybil
  is behaving as she did
  before, Sybil asks “why
  shouldn’t we?”
• The younger generation
  show more compassion,
  e.g. Sheila and Eric don’t
  believe that Arthur should
  have fired Eva / Daisy.
• The younger generation
  are shown as challenging
  the status quo, e.g. Eva /
  Daisy asks to be better
  paid. Arthur and Sybil don’t
  challenge the society they
  live in.