key quotations

“ She was young, pretty and warm hearted”

• Word: “pretty” focuses on Eva's appearance.

• Technique: Adjective listing / tricolon.

• Context: Women were often judged heavily on appearance and relationships with men.

• Themes: Gender, power, relationships, class.

• Grade 9 idea: Gerald's description appears affectionate, but the emphasis on Eva's qualities as something desirable to him could suggest that even apparently positive descriptions of women can reveal a male-centred perspective.

• Priestley’s message: Casual attitudes towards women can contribute to their objectification and exploitation.

“ I didn’t feel about her as she felt about me”

• Word: “I” versus “she” creates an imbalance between Gerald and Eva.

• Technique: Contrast.

• Context: Gerald's wealth and status gave him greater power within the relationship.

• Themes: Gender, class, power, relationships.

• Grade 9 idea: The contrast between “I” and “she” exposes the unequal emotional power within the relationship: Gerald can leave relatively easily because his social position gives him greater freedom.

• Priestley’s message: Unequal social power can create unequal relationships.

“ Everything’s alright now, Sheila”

• Word: “everything” is dangerously dismissive.

• Technique: Dramatic irony.

• Context: Gerald wants to restore the situation to how it was before the Inspector's arrival.

• Themes: Change, responsibility, relationships.

• Grade 9 idea: Gerald’s desire to declare everything “all right” could reveal his eagerness to restore the old social order, suggesting that unlike Sheila, he has not truly internalised the Inspector’s lesson.

• Priestley’s message: Gerald's desire to return to normal suggests he has not learned the Inspector's lesson.

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