Britain in 1913 and 1945
In 1912 Britain was a very different place from how it is now
- British society was divided along class lines
- only men who need property could vote - women couldn’t vote
- women’s lives were far more controlled by their families and husbands unlike today
- there was not as much governement help for people in need as there is today.This is why charities like Sybil’s were so important
Things had changed by 1945- but there were still bug problems
Things had changed by 1945 - but there were still problems:
-Priestley write the play during the Second World War
Describe The theme of Britain on 1912 and 1945
Family life
There were expectations of middle-families in 1912:
Men were expected:
- work to support their ‘perfect’ family
- Protect women- especially their wives and daughters
Women were expected for:
- marry into money so they didn’t have to work
- plan parties, visit friends and have children.They didn’t do jobs like washing, cooking or cleaning
The Birling family seems fairly normal..
- the B family wants everyone to believe they’re the perfect family
- the gender roles are clearly defined-the ladies ‘withdraw’ to let the men talk about ‘male’ stuff
- but there’s tension bubbling just under the surface:
- mrs Birling keeps correcting her family’s social mistakes
- Eric laughs out and turn act oddly
- Sheila teases Gerald half playfully, but also “half serious” , about last summer
….but something’s not right
- The clear hierarchy at the beginning is destroyed by the Inspectors arrival
- without their parents influence, Sheila and Eric can think for themselves:
- Sheila doesn’t know whether she’ll marry Gerald any more. She needs time to decide for herself
- Eric says his mother doesn’t “understand anything” and that B “not the kind of father a chap could go” for help
- The family is a mess. And Sheila and Eric refuse to “go on behaving just as we did”. They don’t want to pretend any more. The parents no longer have any authority over their children
Describe the theme of family life
Social class:
Class drives the plot and shapes the characters
There was a clear class structure in the early 20th century:
-working class:
Priestly designed the characters to put across his message-social responsibility
The characters in the play represent the classes-and priestly challenges their views and behaviour in order to challenge the class hierarchy
There was a clear class structure in early 20th century:
Working class:
- had all the hardest jobs and little money
- Eva smith/Daisy Renton-she struggles through life , doing tough jobs , only just earning enough to survive
Middle class:
-owned factories/were professionals.has plenty of money and control-e.g ,the B family
Upper class:
-Inherited loads of land and money were often Lords and Ladies:
E.g, Gerald
The class meant the lower classes struggled
The B family think class is all that matters: -theme:judgement It's ironic that Burlington passes judgment on others when he's acted so immorally
Priestly thought class shouldn’t matter
How people act isn’t just about class:
-writers technique:
Priestly’s presentation of Eva/Daisy as more honourable than the Middle and upper classes might have surprised some members of the audience
Describe the theme of social class
Young and old
The older generation are old-fashioned:
Priestly presents Arthur and Sybil as having very traditional views-they think that they know best, that children should be seen and no heard and they don’t like their authority to be challenged
They represent the views of the ruling class
By questioning their old fashioned personal views, Priestley also questions their obsession with social class -he’s suggesting that the whole class system is out of touch and needs to be reformed
The younger generation are different:
Some are ambitious and determined , motivated -Eva/Daisy “had a lot to say-far too much” .her courage is the main reason birling sacked her
The younger generation are shown as challenging the authority of their elders. This threatens Birling, who tells them they’d “better keep quiet”
Because the younger generation learn their lesson , there’s a chance for an equal and fairer society in the future
Eric and the end is standing around as if he wants nothing to do with his parents.Sheila stands by him.By the end of the play they’re no longer controlled by their parents
Theme-learning:
Eric and Sheila learn that they are responsibly for their actions and that their Decisions affect other people
Gerald’s the oldest young man around
Gerald’s closet to Shelia and Eric than he is to mr and mrs B , but he’s a young man who’s already old in his attitudes.Hes a younger version of Arthur-shallow and stubborn:
- his marriage to Sheila is for business reasons
- he agrees with B that Eva/Daisy had to be fired
He doesn’t learning anything:
-when he’s found out to have ditched Daisy/Eva , he doesn’t seem to feel guilty
-at the end, he thinks his engagement’s back on:”everything’s all right now , Sheila”
The fact that Gerald is of the younger generation but remains unchanged suggests that a more caring future isn’t inevitable-people can choose whether to change or not . Priestly is also making a criticism of the upper class , that they’re set in their ways and therefore unlikely to change
Describe the theme of young and old
Men and women
The women and men start as stereotypes
The young women challenge the stereotypes:
Eva/Daisy and Sheila try to revel and break out of the roles that society has given them
- Eva/Daisy questioned the decision of her boss instead of Quietly accepting it
- instead of relying on a man to save her , Eva/Daisy refused to accept Eric’s stolen money
- Sheila interrupts and challenges everyone at different times , apart from the inspector
By the end the stereotypes are turned upside down:
- as the play develops Birling, Gerald and Eric get weaker , while Sheila gets stronger. Priestley does this to challenge the audiences views of women at the time
- Gerald’s rejected by Sheila’s, and Eric is revealed to be nervous and lazy with a drinking problem. Birling suffers the most -the whole night has slowly undermined his authority.he’s “panic-stricken” as he speaks the final line-a very different man from the one at the beginning
- Sheila starts staring her own opinions , not those she is “supposed” to have -“that’s what’s important/and not whether a man is a police inspector or not”.Shes learnt to think for herself
Describe the theme of men and women
Judgement
The style is like an old morality play:
There’s something odd about the inspector
The important thing is to learn the lesson
-in the end it doesn’t matter tho the inspector is
Describe the theme of judgement
Learning about life
Describe the theme of learning about life
