Sheila Birling quotes

“But these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people”

• Priestley demonstrates Sheila’s instantaneous recognition of the Inspector’s message, as she objects to her father’s dehumanising and capitalist approach to business

• J.B Priestley shows how capitalism changes the way a person thinks: it makes others seem like a potential benefit/worker and you wonder what value it brings to you, instead of thinking about what benefit they can receive, and if it doesn't then you ignore/leave them.

• This quote's meaning can be seen through Mr Birling's relationship with his daughter. When he discovers that Gerald had an affair with Eva, instead of scolding him, he tells Sheila to calm down. This is because at this point Mr Birling doesn't even see Sheila as his daughter but a commodity that he needs to sell on to the Crofts to create a business deal which will higher his status and value of his business.

“Is it the one you wanted me to have?”

• Pronoun “you” implies that not only is Gerald in control of their relationship, but he also controls Sheila’s mindset

• The fact that she poses a convergent question (closed-ended) exemplifies to the reader that she adheres to not only Gerald’s preferences, but also her outlook on life also revolves around her husband

• Verb “wanted” creates a sense of ownership and entitlement - it is almost as though Gerald has a right to make Sheila’s decisions for her. Priestley intentionally does this to represent the way in which women were treated during Edwardian England

“Oh- it’s wonderful! Look Mummy - isn’t it a beauty? I think it’s perfect. Now I feel really engaged”

• Sheila needs the physical token of a ring to validate her engagement, suggesting she is superficial and materialistic. This shows she upholds the same selfish views and capitalist attributes of her father

• The use of the dashes shows the language is fragmented and broken up, perhaps showing the gesture was unexpected as “all last summer” Gerald “never came near” Sheila. The language is childish, showing how she is easily swooned

“No not yet. It’s too soon. I must think”

• This pivotal moment is where Sheila must either accept or reject Gerald and the capitalist individualism he stands for

• Perhaps she is hesitant because she knows that she must marry Gerald in order to secure a future but deep down she recognises that he is not going to be faithful

“The point is, you don’t seem to have learnt anything”

• J.B Priestley shows power of socialism and how it can transform even a weak, shy and innocent person into a person with beliefs, morality and a voice. Sheila was very careful with the way she addressed a countering point against her parents (in a polite manner since she was brought up to give that respect) but this is the point where she crosses those boundaries as she is supported by the backbone of socialism.

• However, it can be argued that she is the stereotypical upper class young female: she cannot think for herself.

• In Act 1, she was “daddy’s little girl” and did everything Mr Birling wanted but by the end of Act 3, she says and does everything Inspector Goole wants (she becomes his mouthpiece)

“He’s giving us the rope - so that we’ll hang ourselves”

• The collective pronoun “us" acknowledges the harsh reality that she has been blinded to - her parents have indoctrinated her to shut out the lower class from her life. She now sees there is an apparent wall between her class and the lower class

• The metaphor is very macabre (disturbing because it concerns death), revealing her shaken state of mind and the severity of the situation

• The allusion to execution acknowledges both the Inspector’s role in bringing justice and the Birlings’ part in causing their own fall from grace. Priestley suggests those in power incriminate themselves, and the younger generation have the responsibility to hold them accountable

“You and I aren’t the same people who sat down to dinner here”

• Sheila’s act of handing back the ring is symbolic of her conversion from capitalism to socialism. She is beginning to see beyond materialism and her eyes have opened to the suffering that the working classes have endured and been subjected to for the sake of the avaricious upper class citizens

• By refusal of the ring is so revolutionary because it marks the change the more “impressionable” youth can bring only does. Not only does Sheila undermine Gerald’s masculinity and male chauvinism, she also defies the social construct built up in the Edwardian era of females being subservient by tolerating infidelity

• she is beginning to challenge such a misogynistic society and this alludes to the Suffragette movement

• Priestley suggests that with enlightenment comes sacrifices - a compromise has to be made as Sheila has relinquished her relatonship with Gerald. This is shown through the pronouns "you” and “I” instead of “we” implying that their unity has been broken