Class

Question 1

What is the significance of class?

Answer 1

• Difference in treatment depending on your class (social extremes)
• highlights the inequality between classes
• the upper classes looked down upon the working class

Question 2

Mr Birling

Answer 2

• managed to climb his way up to the upper class but doesn’t have etiquette and seems desperate to fit in with Gerald and brags about knighthood
• cruel to employees

Question 3

Mrs Birling

Answer 3

• born into upper class and is very conservative with things such as etiquette and social roles
• only cares working class when it makes her look charitable (women’s charity)
• a character representing the extreme end of the upper class (snobbery)
• opinionated character and doesn’t have her priorities straight in terms of social standing and ethics

Question 4

Gerald Croft

Answer 4

• member of the upper class and seems to guide how Mr Birling views business and therefore holds the same sort of ideas about class
• only cares about working class when it is convenient for him, breaking things off with Eva when it was good for him

Question 5

Eva Smith

Answer 5

-representative of the working class, and she shows how the working class is treated and their day to day lives
- her interactions with the different characters show how working class citizens would be treated at the time

Question 6

Sheila

Answer 6

• At the start of the play, she seems to be a product of her sheltered upbringing, and seems to be childish in regards to social positions and class
• seems to gain sympathy for Eva Smith and generally the working class. Expresses guilt for her actions affecting Eva and leading to her suicide

Question 7

Eric

Answer 7

• took advantage of Eva Smith, thinking he could get away with it
• seems to be remorseful for his actions
• he is very childish