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‘no point’ suggests pointlessness which suggests it is not worth time which suggests that Sheila knowing about Gerald’s cheating isn’t important which suggests that Sheila isn’t important and infantilises her.
‘subject’ suggests vagueness which suggests that Mr Birling is treating this cheating more lightly than he should.
‘especially’ refers to Shiela which emphasises how Mr Birling patronises her.
(Act 2)
'but i see no point in mentioning the subject - especially'
‘leave’ suggests to be left alone which suggests that Mr Birling is still infantilises Eric and Sheila even at the end which emphasies his lack of character arc.
‘us’ refers to Mr and Mrs Birling and how they will fix everything, ignoring the younger generation. (Act 3)
'leave this to us'
‘over-tired’ suggests that Eric and Sheila need sleep which suggests they aren’t thinking logically which suggests that Mrs Birling is infantilising them and undermining the younger generation.
‘amused’ suggests that Mrs Birling finds the situation funny and is not taking any of this seriously as she believes there aren’t any real repercussions anymore as the Inspector wasn’t a real Inspector.
(Act 3)
'they're over-tired. In the morning they'll be as amused as we are'
The word ‘remember’ suggests that Eric wasn’t in control while he was drunk which suggests he is careless which suggests cruelty.
‘hellish’ is a biblical allusion to hell which suggests sin which suggests that Eric will be punished for his actions and it is not easily avoided, unlike the other’s actions who could hide it more easily and escape responsibility.
‘hellish’ also suggests torture and suffering which suggests that Eric believes that him not remembering is the worst part of it all which suggests that he views his careless actions as cruel which suggests he feels guilt for them and therefore wants to take responsibility.
(During Interview)
‘I didn’t even remember - that’s the hellish thing’
Stage directions
‘heavy’ suggests weight which suggests he has enough money to make himself well fed which suggests he is rich
‘portentous’ means to be overly pompous in order to impress which suggests that Mr Birling tries to impress others which is emphasised by the fact he was not born upper class. (Act 1)
'heavy looking, rather portentous man'
‘port’ is expensive alcohol which suggests Mr Birling tries to impress others which suggests he heavily cares about his reputation. (Act 1)
mention of 'port'
‘happiest’ suggests it is the best, however this day is not about him and so this suggests that Mr Birling is selfish and only cares about himself which suggests greed and apathy towards others. (Act 1)
'one of the happiest days of my life'
‘absolutely’ suggests certainty, however the audience would know that the Titanic sank so this creates dramatic irony, presenting Mr Birling as ignorant, stubborn and even stupid.
The repetition of ‘unsinkable’ emphasise that dramatic irony and how Mr Birling is ignorant and therefore presents him as a unlikeable character. (Act 1)
'unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable'
‘isn’t’ suggests certainty that there will be no war which is dramatic irony as the play was written after two world wars and the play is set a couple years before WW1. This presents Mr Birling as stubborn and ignorant and therefore unlikeable.
(Act 1)
'isn’t a chance of war'
‘nothing’ suggests certainty which emphasise how stubborn Mr Birling is.
‘mysterious’ and ‘scandalous’ foreshadows to truths later revealed by the Inspector. (Act 1)
'nothing mysterious - or scandalous'
The repetition of ‘thousands’ suggests that Mr Birling is bribing the Inspector with money which presents him as desperate to keep his reputation but also uncaring and apathetic as he couldn’t add an extra few shillings onto Eva’s wages but he would give ‘thousands’ to keep himself unbothered. (Act 3)
'I'd give thousands, yes thousands'
Stage Directions - ‘Cold’ is a metaphor for being distant and far away which suggests that Mrs Birling is emotionally distant, which suggests she is not maternal. (Act 1)
'a rather cold women'
‘used’ suggests familiarisation and normalisation which suggests that Mrs Birling believes that it is normal for men to be away for a long time which links to the context of the time. It also foreshadows Gerald’s interview as Sheila did have a reason to be worried. (Act 2)
'you'll have to get used to that'
‘girls’ suggests infantilisation of Eva which suggests that her wanting money to life was childish which suggests marginalisation of lower classes.
‘that’ suggests objectivation and marginalisation of the working class which suggests Mrs Birling is apathetic to lower classes. (Act 2)
'girls of that class'
‘nothing’ suggests absolution which suggests that Mrs Birling is certain she has done nothing wrong.
‘ashamed’ suggests guilt but since she had done ‘nothing’ to feel guilt, it suggests that she has a lack of empathy towards Eva and that she is apathetic to lower classes. (Act 2)
'nothing I'm ashamed of'
‘justified’ suggests Mrs Birling believes her action to not help Eva was reasonable which suggests she believes she did no wrong which suggests she is unable to change. (Act 2)
'perfectly justified'
‘accept’ means to consent or receive which suggests Mrs Birling sees responsibility as a choice which suggests she views Eva’s death as unimportant
‘blame’ suggests responsibility but ‘no’ suggests she won't take responsibility which suggests she is immature and stubborn (Act 2)
'I accept no blame'
Sheila uses language that a child would use which suggests she is childish which suggests immaturity. (Before Interview)
'Mummy' 'Daddy'
The use of ‘pretty’ suggests that Sheila is mainly focused on looks which suggests she is shallow and maybe vain (Before Interview - Act 1)
'Pretty?'
‘cheap’ suggests that Mr Birling’s workers aren’t worth money or worth little which suggests that they are expendable and not worth respect, however with the use of ‘aren’t, it suggests that Sheila differs in viewpoint compared to her father, suggesting that they are foils.
‘labour’ suggests that Mr Birlings workers aren’t treated like people which suggests marginalisation and class divide.
‘these’ suggests marginalisation which suggests that even Sheila cannot escape othering the lower class from herself, which shows that she is flawed, however, she is shown to be morally better than Mr Birling which foreshadows her redemption. (Before Interview)
'But these girls aren't cheap labour, they're people'
‘pretty’ suggests that Sheila cares about looks which suggests she may be shallow but also a stereotypical woman character
‘early twenties’ show that Sheila is not a child, even though she is treated as such which suggest that people do not take her seriously because she is younger than them which suggests ageism.
‘pleased’ suggests joy and happiness which suggests Sheila does not struggle in life which shows that she is privileged but unaware suggesting she is naïve.
(Stage Directions - Before Interview)
'is a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited'
‘Beauty’ suggests that Sheila cares about what things look like which suggests she may be shallow. However, it also suggests that she enjoys nice things which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
‘it’ is a reference to the engagement ring which suggested marriage which showcases how women were expected to be married in the 1910’s and how Sheila is a stereotypical woman.
This quote also foreshadows Gerald’s interview and how Sheila gives the ring back to him afterwards, emphasising how much she has changed from the beginning of the play. (Before Interview)
'isn't it a beauty?'
Sheila says how she is responsible for Eva getting fired from her second job.
‘own’ suggests Sheila is taking responsibility which suggests she is mature.
‘fault’ emphasies this and suggests Sheila is aware of what she did is wrong and trying to atone for it suggesting she is mature. (During Interview)
'It was my own fault.'
Sheila's stage directions in relation to nearly failing apart when talking to the Inspector
‘just’ suggests Sheila is struggling to not fail apart which shows that she isn’t perfect and is human. It also suggests that she is trying not to be weak, and is succeeding.
‘controls’ suggests that she is self-controlled and not childish which suggests that she doesn’t want to be a stereotype, as women were seen at the time as hysterical and over-emotional. (During Interview)
'but just controls herself'
The repetition of ‘never’ showcases how Sheila is adamant about not causing harm to anyone ever again which suggests that she feels guilt for what she did and doesn't want to do it again suggests she is mature.
‘anybody’ suggests anyone, no matter their race, gender, class etc which suggests that she won’t let prejudice affect how she treats others which suggests she (During Interview)
'never, never do it again to anybody'
This is an imperative which suggests Sheila is assertive and no longer weak-willed which shows how much she has grown compared to the beginning of the play. (After Interview)
'I'm staying'
‘child’ suggests innocence and naivety, but paired with ‘not’ suggests that Sheila is no longer any of these things and that she is a mature woman which shows her character development.
‘don’t forget’ is an imperative which suggests assertiveness which suggests that Sheila will no longer let her father infantilise her anymore which shows her going against Mr Birling. (After Interview)
'and I'm not a child, don't forget.'
‘hands’ suggest simple and straightforwardness which suggests Sheila did this without feeling discomfort which shows how confident she is now.
‘ring’ is a symbol of marriage and in the 1910’s, it was the role of the woman to get married and have children. However, with Sheila handing back the ring, it suggests that she is going against the role she was placed in the moment she was born which shows that she no longer cares about the status quo which shows her character development.
(Stage direction - After Interview)
'[she hands him the ring]'
‘childish’ suggests immaturity which suggests that Mr and Mrs Birling not accepting responsibility for their actions is immature. It also reflects how at the beginning, Mr and Mrs Birling treated her like a child but now because Sheila has developed positively while they have not, they are being treated like children.
'you two' 'being childish'
The repetition of ‘half’ suggests uncertainty which suggests Eric is uncertain of himself and doesn’t know who he is.
‘shy’ suggests nervousness which juxtaposes ‘assertive’ which suggests dominance and confidence. These two juxtaposing words together have the effect of presenting Eric as conflicting, like he doesn’t know who he wants to be.
(Stage Directions - Before Interview)
'half shy, half assertive.'
‘don’t’ suggests unawareance or uncertainty which suggests Eric is unsure of why he does things and who he is.
‘know’ suggests thought and rationality and paired with ‘don’t’ suggests Eric does things without thinking which suggests he is immature and careless which suggests he is cruel.
(Before Interview)
'I don't know'
‘Women’ is a general term that suggests stereotyping, suggesting that Eric has a superficial view of women.
‘potty’ is informal slang which suggests Eric is immature and childish. (Before Interview)
‘Women are potty about ‘em’
‘squiffy’ is informal slang which shows that Eric and Sheila are close, which is emphasised by their brother and sister relationship.
‘squiffy’ also means drunk which suggests that Eric is an alcoholic and even more so that Sheila is aware of this unlike their parents, which highlights their close relationship. (Before Interview)
'you're squiffy'
‘state’ suggests Eric wasn’t in control of himself which suggests he is innocent which suggests he is excusing his behaviour of raping Eva.
‘chap’ is a friendly, casual choice of word which suggests Eric is trying to convince the others that he didn’t do anything that bad.
‘easily’ suggests something that is very likely to happen which normalises rape and sexual abuse which highlights that Eric is trying to excuse his behaviour which suggests he is not fully taking responsibility.
‘turns’ suggests a sudden change of behaviour which suggests Eric is unpredictable.
‘nasty’ suggests violence and danger which suggests Eric is dangerous (During Interview)
'in a state when a chap easily turns nasty'
‘you’ suggests Eric is shifting blame onto Mrs Birling which suggests he is not taking fully responsibility which suggests he is immature.
‘killed’ is direct and blunt which suggests he is not trying to hide anyone’s actions unlike Mr and Mrs Birling which suggests he is more responsible than them.
(After Interview)
'You killed her!'
‘my’ is a possessive pronoun which suggests Eric is taking responsibility as now he realises the full impact he had. (After Interview)
‘my child’
‘attractive’ suggests Gerald is conventually good looking which suggests he cares about his appearance.
‘well-bred’ and ‘easy’ suggest he is part of the privileged elite class and therefore suggests he cares about his appearance.
‘about town’ suggests that Gerald enjoys socialising but also could foreshadow Gerald’s unfaithfulness as prostitutes are often called ‘women of the town’ (Stage directions - Act 1)
'attractive chap' 'easy well-bred young man about town'
‘business’ suggests that Gerald is distancing himself from responsibility which suggests he is cold-hearted and unsympathetic (Act 1)
'suicide business'
‘Respectable’ suggests social acceptance, which suggests that Gerald is acceptable in society’s eyes because he is privileged. This links to the theme of appearance vs. reality.
‘criminals’ foreshadows later events. (Act 1)
'respectable citizens and not criminals'
‘hate’ is a strong word which suggests that Gerald has an extreme distaste for these prostitutes because they are old and/or unattractive in his eyes as ‘hard-eyed’ and ‘dough-faced’ have connotations as such. This suggests he cares heavily about appearances and is sexist. (Act 2)
'I hate those hard-eyed dough faced women'
Gerald referring to his talk with Eva/Daisy
‘Let me’ is an imperative that suggests a hint of forcefulness, like Daisy feeling forced to go with him because she had no better choice.
‘take’ suggests that Gerald saved her which suggests that he views himself highly due to this action which suggests that he didn’t actually care about her
(Act 2)
'let me take her out of there'
‘inevitable’ suggests that Gerald believed it was going to happen anyway which suggests he is justifying his actions which presents him as unlikeable (Act 2)
'suppose it was inevitable'
Gerald is referring to how Daisy didn’t blame him for the breakup
‘God’ is religious imagery which suggests that Gerald feels some remorse for her death.
‘now’ suggests that Gerald didn’t feel any guilt or remorse for Daisy because of his actions before he found out she died because of him which suggests that he only feels guilt because it affected him negatively which suggests that he only thinks for himself which presents him as unlikeable and an awful person (Act 2)
'I wish to God she had now'
Gerald shows that he hasn't changed from what he was like in the beginning
‘right’ suggests that everything is good now because nobody has to accept responsibility which suggests that Gerald hasn’t changed or learnt anything because of the Inspector which presents his as immature and unlikeable (Act 3)
'everything is all right now'
‘-’ is used to indicate that Mr Birling has been cut off by the Inspector rigging the doorbell. This suggests a change in power and presents the Inspector as powerful and authoritative.
(Act 1)
'own-and-'
‘golf’ is a sport associated with wealth
(Act 1)
'I don't play golf.'
‘dead’ is a harsh way to talk about death which suggests that the Inspector is straightforward which suggests his power and authority.
(Act 1)
'she's dead.'
‘public’ means men with authority, suggesting that Mr Birling should take more responsibility since he is a powerful man.
‘responsibilities’ means a duty to deal with which suggests that Mr Birling won’t do his duty to society.
‘privileges’ means an advantage compared to others which emphasises how rich the Birling’s are and how they should use that wealth to help others in need.
(Act 2)
'public men' 'have responsibilities as well as privileges.'
‘patience’ means to tolerate which implies that the Birlings aren’t listening to him which is making him angry
‘people’ is a generalisation like how the Birlings generalised the poor which suggests the Inspector is trying to make the Birlings reflect back on their actions by acting the same way to them as they do to the poor.
(Act 2)
'losing all patience' 'you people'
‘we’ is anaphora and it is referencing society as a whole which suggests that our actions effect everyone, no matter how small.
‘one body’ suggests a single working organism which suggests that everyone is society is working together to keep it together and if one person fails, everyone is affected.’
(Act 3)
'we are members of one body'
The repetition of ‘millions’ emphasies how many people suffer every day due to others’ lack of accepting responsibility.
‘left’ suggests aloneness which suggests suffering due to having no one to care about them.
‘us’ is a reference to society as a whole.
(Act 3)
'millions, millions, millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths left with us.'
‘fire’ ‘blood’ and ‘anguish’ are all hellish imagery which emphasise the consequences that will occur if humanity doesn’t change.
‘anguish’ means extreme suffering which could be a hint to WW1 and WW2.
(Act 3)
'fire and blood and anguish'
Mr Birling being anti-community (Act 1)
'community and all that nonsense'
‘plain’ suggests simplicity which suggests that the Inspector is not focused on appearances which suggests he not vain, unlike the Birlings.
‘suit’ suggests a level of importance which suggests power and authority.
(Act 1-Stage directions)
‘plain, darkish suit’
‘disconcerting’ means to cause unsettlement which suggests the Inspector is intimidating which suggests power and authority.
‘hard’ suggests the Inspector is intimidating but also straightforward and to the point which suggests power and authority.
(Act 1-Stage directions)
‘disconcerting habit of looking hard’
‘What’ is a question word which suggests that Mr Birling cares about Sheila but the use of ‘that’ which suggests objectification and therefore apathy, suggests that this care is superficial.
‘child’ suggests infantilisation as Sheila is not a child.
(Act 2)
‘What’s the matter with that child.’
The use of an exclamation mark means the statement is a command which suggests Mr Birling is controlling
‘quiet’ means to not make any noise which is also a control mechanism that infantilises Sheila.
(Act 2)
‘Be quiet, Sheila!’
‘Socialist’ is in direct opposition to Mr Birling as he is a capitalist.
‘crank’ is someone who has strange beliefs and is used often in negative contexts which suggests that Mr Birling is not open-minded and ignorant.
(Act 3)
‘probably a Socialist or some crank’
‘jingo’ is used to express surprise which suggests Mr Birling is joyful because he no longer has to accept responsibility of his actions.
The use of an exclamation mark emphasise this excitement as he gets to keep his reputation in tact.
(Act 3)
‘By jingo! A fake!’
‘careful’ suggests cautiousness which suggests that Mrs Birling thinks Sheila is incapable to be careful which suggests she is infantilising Sheila
(‘it’ is in reference to the ring)
(Act 1)
‘Be careful with it’
(Stage Direction) ‘social superior’ suggests Mrs Birling was born into wealth which suggests she may be ignorant of her privledge but also that the theme of class is central to her character.
(Act 1)
‘her husband’s social superior’
‘type’ suggests Mrs Birling is categorising people into strict boxes which suggests she is objectifying them and suggests that she believes only lower-class people can get drunk.
‘don’t’ suggests certainty which implies Mrs Birling is blind to her son’s alcoholism which suggests she is extremely emotionally distant not to notice his problem.
(Act 3)
‘you’re not the type - you don’t get drunk’
The use of an exclamation mark suggests surprise and shock and paired with ‘my god’ which is a slang to show shock suggests that this news of death is unexpected to him and suggests he may have sympathy for Eva, who at this point he thinks he doesn’t know, which suggests he does have a humane side.
(Before Interview)
‘My god!’
‘Could’ is a question word which suggests Eric is asking for permission which suggests he is not dominant
‘drink’ relates to alcohol which presents Eric as an alcoholic but also since some people drink alcohol to make themselves feel more confident it suggests that Eric lacks confidence and emphasises his lack of dominance.
(During Interview)
‘Could I have a drink first?’
‘girl’ suggests a child, however Eva is not a child but in the 20th century, woman were treated like children, inferior and weak, which suggests Eric is not morally good, even at the end.
‘dead’ is direct and blunt which suggests Eric is fed up of his parents’ not taking responsibility.
The use of a rhetorical question suggests Eric is challenging Mrs Birling which suggests he is more assertive than he was at the beginning of the play.
(After Interview)
‘The girl’s still dead, isn’t she?’
‘we’ is a collective pronoun and suggests that responsibility is shared between all of the Birlings and Gerald.
‘helped’ means to aid which emphasises how everyone played a part in Eva’s death and no one can escape responsibility of it.
‘kill’ is direct and blunt which suggests Eric will no longer hide under appearances anymore which suggests he has taken responsibility, at least more than his parents.
(After Interview)
‘and we all helped kill her’
‘couldn’t’ suggests that Mr Birling had no choice in the matter which suggests he doesn’t have to take responsiblity in the eyes of Gerald which suggests that Gerald is on Mr Birling’s side which presents him as unlikeable and also a capitalist.
‘anything’ emphasises this as it suggests there was nothing else Mr Birling could do, and yet there was.
(Act 1)
‘you couldn’t have done anything else’
‘out of place’ suggests that Daisy was ‘different’ from the other prostitutes, presumably because of her looks which suggests that Gerald is only focused on looks which links to the theme of appearance vs reality. It also suggests that deep down, Gerald didn’t really care about her and only liked her for her looks which suggests he is sexist and lustful.
‘there’ is vague which suggests that Gerald might feel guilty for cheating on Sheila
‘altogether out of place down there’
Referring to how he doesn’t want to know about some of the others’ crimes
‘want’ suggests that Gerald desires to be willingly ignorant, which suggests that Gerald doesn’t care about the truth. This links to the theme of appearance vs. reality. It also juxtaposes Sheila's wanting to know about what Gerald did, showcasing how different the pair truly are and how Gerald doesn’t change.
(Act 3)
‘I don’t want to’
‘as if she was an animal, a thing, not a person’
The Inspector to Eric
‘animal’, in this context, suggests a prey animal which suggests weakness which suggests something that can be easily taken advantaged of which suggests that Eva was taken advantage of by Eric and wasn’t in control.
‘thing’ suggests something that is a object which suggests that Eric objectified Eva and didn’t treat her like a person but rather an object to be used for his own desires and wants which relates to masculine power
(Act 3)
