® ENGLISH GCSE – AN INSPECTOR CALLLS
Sheila
® Sheila is initially portrayed as ‘a pretty girl in her early twenties, very
pleased with life’. This develops and matures during the course of the
play, following her acknowledgement of the part she played in Eva’s
death. Sheila’s jealous instincts are replaced by a sense of maturity at
the end of the play
® The audience is encouraged by Priestly to relate to Sheila and
identify with her view of increased social responsibility. Priestly infuses
Sheila’s language with rhetorical devices, which resonates with the
audience, ‘you knew it then, You began to learn. And now you’ve
stopped.’ This group of three is memorable from the Inspectors’ terse
(short) and direct accusations
® Priestly wants Sheila to be the focus of the audience and who they
find most likeable, and Priestly achieves this as he allows Sheila to take
over the role of the his proxy (represents the Inspector )once he
departs. Priestley’s intention here is that the audience will emulate
(match) Sheila and also take one extra social responsibility. Without
Sheila being a likeable character, the message of socialism is diluted
and thus less effective as the audience would be less willing to take
on board the Inspector’s message and reform themselves
KEY POINTS:
Superficial Engagement:
® Gerald and Sheila’s engagement isn’t one based on love and
affection but formed on materialism and capitalism, as demonstrated
with Sheila’s obsession with material objects. The engagement is a
symbol of Sheila accepting corruption, gender, class and inequality of
society. She needs a physical token of a ring to ‘really feel engaged’
and the ring acts as a visual marker of ownership and commitment
from Gerald in their relationship.
® The fact the ring validates their relationship is a metaphor for the
nature of their marriage, as its founded on strategic upward social
mobility and business relations between the Crofts & Birlings – this
therefore alludes to the fact their engagement doesn’t feel real until
a monetary (relating to money) investment (the ring) has been made.
® Priestly presents the engagement as superficial, and business
orientated to allow Sheila to develop in maturity and is the first time
we see Sheila put principle and morality before her own financial
security ultimately resulting in her returning the ring to Gerald by the
end of the play
®
Copyright © 2022 Revision Guru | All rights reserved
Sheila
® Sheila is initially portrayed as ‘a pretty girl in her early twenties, very
pleased with life’. This develops and matures during the course of the
play, following her acknowledgement of the part she played in Eva’s
death. Sheila’s jealous instincts are replaced by a sense of maturity at
the end of the play
® The audience is encouraged by Priestly to relate to Sheila and
identify with her view of increased social responsibility. Priestly infuses
Sheila’s language with rhetorical devices, which resonates with the
audience, ‘you knew it then, You began to learn. And now you’ve
stopped.’ This group of three is memorable from the Inspectors’ terse
(short) and direct accusations
® Priestly wants Sheila to be the focus of the audience and who they
find most likeable, and Priestly achieves this as he allows Sheila to take
over the role of the his proxy (represents the Inspector )once he
departs. Priestley’s intention here is that the audience will emulate
(match) Sheila and also take one extra social responsibility. Without
Sheila being a likeable character, the message of socialism is diluted
and thus less effective as the audience would be less willing to take
on board the Inspector’s message and reform themselves
KEY POINTS:
Superficial Engagement:
® Gerald and Sheila’s engagement isn’t one based on love and
affection but formed on materialism and capitalism, as demonstrated
with Sheila’s obsession with material objects. The engagement is a
symbol of Sheila accepting corruption, gender, class and inequality of
society. She needs a physical token of a ring to ‘really feel engaged’
and the ring acts as a visual marker of ownership and commitment
from Gerald in their relationship.
® The fact the ring validates their relationship is a metaphor for the
nature of their marriage, as its founded on strategic upward social
mobility and business relations between the Crofts & Birlings – this
therefore alludes to the fact their engagement doesn’t feel real until
a monetary (relating to money) investment (the ring) has been made.
® Priestly presents the engagement as superficial, and business
orientated to allow Sheila to develop in maturity and is the first time
we see Sheila put principle and morality before her own financial
security ultimately resulting in her returning the ring to Gerald by the
end of the play
®
Copyright © 2022 Revision Guru | All rights reserved
