Possessive and transactional, Priestley initially presents Gerald and Sheila’s
relationship as a reflection of a typical relationship under a misogynistic capitalistic
society in An Inspector Calls. However, as the play progresses, their relationship also
mirrors Sheila’s social and moral epiphany and arguably, the decline of capitalism
through the empowerment of the younger generation.
In Act one, Priestley portrays a romanticised power imbalance within their
relationship under the patriarchy. When Gerald gives Sheila her engagement ring, her
immediate response is “Oh- Is it the one you wanted me to have?”. Whilst she is
“excited” and “oh” could convey exclamative joy, the verb “wanted” suggests the
relationship’s possessive nature. Not only conveying that Gerald chose the ring, the
perhaps unnatural phrasing implies Gerald is controlling and self-centred in their
relationship and dominates Sheila’s choices just as Upper-class men yielded control
over women in the Edwardian Era. Despite Priestley disclosing Sheila’s hesitation
with a fragmented sentence and the punctuation “-”, he maintains a romantic,
“intimate” tone in their relationship. This is again seen when Sheila voices her
suspicions of Gerald having an affair in a “half serious, half playful” tone. Priestley
again portrays a romanticised imbalance of power through how Sheila covers her
accusations of his potential infidelity with jest and flirtation to maintain her attraction
as a good prospect of marriage. The portrayal consequently could be shining light on
the oppressive nature of romantic relationships under the Edwardian patriarchy as the
audience recognizes how Sheila has little to no say in their relationship, and is
expected to act stereotypically obedient and tolerant, paving the basis for her eventual
empowerment.
Priestley furthermore presents Gerald and Sheila’s relationship as transactional.
Through his toast, Mr Birling proclaims their relationship is of “tremendous” value to
him as it “[brings both families together]” “for lower costs and higher prices”. This
proclamation discloses Mr Birling’s avaricious orient, as he perceives the relationship
as a tool to climb the social ladder and of monetary gain. Their relationship is again
presented as one for the sake of social status, not of love when Mrs Birling says
relationship as a reflection of a typical relationship under a misogynistic capitalistic
society in An Inspector Calls. However, as the play progresses, their relationship also
mirrors Sheila’s social and moral epiphany and arguably, the decline of capitalism
through the empowerment of the younger generation.
In Act one, Priestley portrays a romanticised power imbalance within their
relationship under the patriarchy. When Gerald gives Sheila her engagement ring, her
immediate response is “Oh- Is it the one you wanted me to have?”. Whilst she is
“excited” and “oh” could convey exclamative joy, the verb “wanted” suggests the
relationship’s possessive nature. Not only conveying that Gerald chose the ring, the
perhaps unnatural phrasing implies Gerald is controlling and self-centred in their
relationship and dominates Sheila’s choices just as Upper-class men yielded control
over women in the Edwardian Era. Despite Priestley disclosing Sheila’s hesitation
with a fragmented sentence and the punctuation “-”, he maintains a romantic,
“intimate” tone in their relationship. This is again seen when Sheila voices her
suspicions of Gerald having an affair in a “half serious, half playful” tone. Priestley
again portrays a romanticised imbalance of power through how Sheila covers her
accusations of his potential infidelity with jest and flirtation to maintain her attraction
as a good prospect of marriage. The portrayal consequently could be shining light on
the oppressive nature of romantic relationships under the Edwardian patriarchy as the
audience recognizes how Sheila has little to no say in their relationship, and is
expected to act stereotypically obedient and tolerant, paving the basis for her eventual
empowerment.
Priestley furthermore presents Gerald and Sheila’s relationship as transactional.
Through his toast, Mr Birling proclaims their relationship is of “tremendous” value to
him as it “[brings both families together]” “for lower costs and higher prices”. This
proclamation discloses Mr Birling’s avaricious orient, as he perceives the relationship
as a tool to climb the social ladder and of monetary gain. Their relationship is again
presented as one for the sake of social status, not of love when Mrs Birling says
