Gender

Stage Directions "Pretty" - Immediately highlights how she values looks, and how society as a whole saw women for their appearance. "Oh look mummy, isnt it a beauty" - Places value on superficial appearance, trapped in the patriarchal bubble. "Hard headed business man" - Sets the scene that men are meant for business, high expectations for Gerald and Eric. "Yes, go on mummy" - Infantalised woman, shows the treatment of girls in the bourgeoisie "Clothes mean something quite different to a woman" - Inspector Goole, suggesting that women are heavily judged on appearance and clothing. "These girls aren't cheap labour - they're people" - Early challenge to both sexism and classism, shows her potential to change. "Dough faced, hard eyed" - Gerald, objectifying women for their looks. Gerald plays a huge part in the patriarchal bubble, forcing both Sheila and Eva to remain in it. "I was sorry for her" - Saviour complex, only cared about her because of their looks. Tries to make his actions look good, but fails to mask it with patriarchy. "I wasn't in love with her or anything" - Emotional detatchment from Eva, proves how he only helped her for his own pleasure. Objectifying women, doesn't really care about their own feelings. "Girls of that class" - Combining both gender and class, shows her prejudiced views and refusal to help a fellow woman. "She was a good sport" - Eric also objectifies Eva, shows how patriarchy is an issue between multiple people, not just Gerald. "You're not the kind of father a chap could go to when he's in trouble" - Strong masculine roles being broken down, Eric doesn't feel like his father protects him as the man in the household. "There are millions and millions of John Smiths and Eva Smiths" - Inspector highlighting how gender isn't the only problem, but instead the treatment of the lower class is as a whole.

Age

"In her early twenties" - Sheila is immediately described to be the youngest, as she has the most potential to change from the Inspector's message, important because Priestley wanted his message to resonate with the younger generation. "Half shy, half assertive" - Younger generation described to be still developing and understanding their place in society. Opens possibility for change and redemption. "I speak as a hard headed practical man of business" - Boastful language in "hard headed", shows hubris. Older generation, claims to have more knowledge of the world, yet falls short when it comes to social responsbility. "You’ll have to get used to that, just as I had." - Mrs B. Show's the upper class' stubborness and refusal to change socially, as she remains in a patriarchal bubble, normalising male dominance. Expects the younger generation to comply, with the imperative "have to" "The Germans don't want war!" - Older generations' portrayed as being out of touch with the world, unaware of current events and consequences. Reflected through Mr B.'s lack of social responsibility, in dramatic irony. "With the way these cranks talk" - Vocative noun 'cranks', Mr B. portrayed as socially ignorant now too. Created purposefully by Priestly to portray capitalism as an ignorant class system, and capitalists as stubborn and unwilling to change. "It's better to ask for the earth than to take it" - Eric, part of the younger generation, directly dissenting his father's own viewpoint. Critical against capitalism, shows a potential to change. "I'll never, never do it again" - Sheila Birling, part of the younger generation. Juxtaposition with her father, who refused to accept responsibility for the death of Eva. "I made her go to Morgan Terrace" - Saviour complex, shows the younger generations potential to do good for the working class, even if Gerald did it out of selfishness and exploitation. "That I consider, is a trifle impertinent" - Mrs Birling, part of the older generation, refusing to co-operate with the inspector and instead judges his own behaviour instead of his message as a whole. "Girls of that class" - Tendency to judge people on their class instead of actions. "Go and look for the father of the child, it's his responsibility" - Offloading responsibility to others, show's the older generations' refusal to accept social responsilbility and face consequences. "You're not the kind of father a chap can go to" - Eric portraying a divide between the older and younger generation, displayed through disconnect between father and son. "She moves towards the door" - Sheila, as part of the younger generation, changes the most, as she refuses to go back to how things used to be.

Responsibility

Inequality