3.3.2
Sheila Quotes
Sheila - Key Quote (Act 1)
Sheila - Key Quote (Act 1)
‘Mummy – isn’t it a beauty?’ Here's an analysis of this key quote from Act 1:
Stereotypical higher-class woman
Stereotypical higher-class woman
- As the play opens, Sheila plays the stereotypical young, pre-war, higher-class woman whose role is to marry well and produce children.
- She is excited to be marrying a good-looking, wealthy man and shows off her expensive engagement ring.
Child-like
Child-like
- She uses the noun ‘Mummy’ when talking to her mother – this language suggests that she is quite child-like at the start of the play.
- That she feels like she needs to show off her ring also suggests she is childish.
- Priestley uses this to highlight how much she changes later on.
Sheila - Key Quote (Act 2)
Sheila - Key Quote (Act 2)
‘Mother, I think that was cruel and vile.’ Here's an analysis of this key quote from Act 2:
Changing relationship with parents
Changing relationship with parents
- Her using the more formal word ‘mother’ suggests that she is annoyed with Mrs Birling, and that she refuses to be viewed as a child at this point.
- She may no longer feel a sense of closeness with her mother.
- Her illusions (false images) of her parents have been shattered by the Inspector’s interrogation; her parents are not who she thought they were.
Sheila - Key Quote (Act 3)
Sheila - Key Quote (Act 3)
‘It frightens me the way you talk.’ Here's an analysis of this key quote from Act 3:
Worries about parents' attitudes
Worries about parents' attitudes
- She worries that her parents have not learnt anything, and so could do the same thing again and cause the death of another person.
Helpless
Helpless
- She feels helpless because she cannot convince her parents to reconsider their attitudes.
1Plot Summary
2Context & Key Themes
2.1Context & Key Themes
2.1.1Social Class & Equality
2.1.2Class Tension
2.1.3Abuse of Power & Corruption
2.1.4Socialism vs Capitalism
2.1.5Blame & Responsibility
2.1.6Attitudes to Women
2.1.7Characterisation of Women
2.1.8Dramatic Function of Characters
2.1.9End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes
2.1.10End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes 2
2.1.11Grade 9 - Key Themes
3Key Characters
3.1Mr Birling
3.2Mrs Birling
3.6Inspector Goole
3.7Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Authorial Method
4.1Arrangement & Structure of the Play
Jump to other topics
1Plot Summary
2Context & Key Themes
2.1Context & Key Themes
2.1.1Social Class & Equality
2.1.2Class Tension
2.1.3Abuse of Power & Corruption
2.1.4Socialism vs Capitalism
2.1.5Blame & Responsibility
2.1.6Attitudes to Women
2.1.7Characterisation of Women
2.1.8Dramatic Function of Characters
2.1.9End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes
2.1.10End of Topic Test - Context & Key Themes 2
2.1.11Grade 9 - Key Themes
3Key Characters
3.1Mr Birling
3.2Mrs Birling
3.6Inspector Goole
3.7Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Authorial Method
4.1Arrangement & Structure of the Play
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