This is an exemplar essay, including Grade 9 terminology and techniques. This essay fits the AQA GCSE English Literature curriculum. It includes ambitious vocabulary, judiciously picked quotes and so much more. This is an amazing resource to revise from and will provide amazing structure for future...
‘An Inspector Calls’ is about the need for all in society to take great responsibility, both for
those they are entrusted to look after, and for the consequences of their actions. Through
Sheila and Gerald’s relationship, Priestley exposes the maltreatment of working class
women and reveals the gender inequality that infiltrated all male-female relationships
in England in 1912.
Priestley's portrayal of Gerald and Sheila’s relationship is used to explore the way wealthy
men treated women. Before the inspector arrives, Priestley hints that there is tension
between Sheila and Gerald as Sheila begins to tease Gerald about his whereabouts last
summer. By hinting that Gerald was absent from Sheila last summer, Priestley implies to the
audience that Gerald was having an affair. Priestley could have chosen to hint at the affair
before having Gerald explicitly reveal it to Sheila to criticise the fact that many wealthy men
had affairs and tried to hide them. Priestley uses Gerald to challenge the way wealthy, upper
class men believed they could use their power and wealth to behave immorally and
irresponsibly while still appearing desirable. Priestley also explores this irresponsible
behaviour from upper class men through Gerald’s affair with Eva. Despite having good
intentions towards Eva because he felt ‘sorry’ for her, Gerald still uses her desperate need
for money and food to his own advantage. Although he knows that he is committed to Sheila,
Gerald still irresponsibly lets his situation with Eva Smith develop into an affair, knowing that
it could never end in a relationship. Through Gerald’s actions, Priestley suggests wealthy
men had different behavioural codes to women and used the power they had over women
for their own gains.
Priestley uses Gerald and Sheila’s relationship to challenge the gender inequality present
in society at the time. Just before the inspector questions Gerald, he reveals to Sheila that
he did have an affair last summer. Despite revealing to Sheila only seconds before that he
has cheated on her, he still expects her to lie for him and ‘keep it’ from the inspector.
Priestley makes clear to the audience that Gerald is desperate to keep the affair from the
inspector and they can assume this is because he does not want his reputation destroyed.
By having Gerald selfishly ask Sheila to lie for him, Priestley implies that in his desperation
to protect himself, Gerald insensitively ignores the feelings of his fiance. Priestley could be
criticising the fact that many wealthy men had affairs and tried to hide them in society.
Priestley might also be suggesting that Gerald assumes Sheila would be willing to lie for him
because he has the most power in the relationship. After the inspector leaves, Gerald also
assumes that Sheila will be willing to submit to his demands when he states that ‘everythings
all right now’ and asks her ‘what about this ring?’ Priestley makes clear that Gerald is
irresponsible because he is happy to forget everything that has happened and progress with
his engagement to Sheila. Priestley implies that Gerald assumes Sheila will be happy to
accept him because he is a desirable man of a higher class than Sheila. Again, Priestley
insinuates that Gerald has no regard for Sheila’s own emotions. Perhaps Priestley wanted to
use Gerald to suggest that wealthy men will not learn from their mistakes because they
believe they are entitled to treat women in this way.
Through Sheila and Gerald’s relationships, Priestley challenges the gender stereotypes in
England in 1912. Before the inspector arrives, Sheila is told by her mother that she should
expect men to be preoccupied with work and not always around their wives. Priestley
immediately makes clear that women were expected to be subservient. However, Sheila
states that she cannot get used to this which reveals she is beginning to challenge the
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