sheila and gerald

• how does Priestley utilise sheila and Gerald's engagement to show the corruption within his post-war audience?

  • their marriage is built upon materialism and capitalism
  • sheila's obsession with the material object (the ring) also highlights Gerald's ability to have ownership over Sheila
• what does Priestley hint to his 1945 audience about sheila and Gerald's engagement?

  • Class differences
  • ownership over sheila
  • business related
• The engagement between Sheila and Gerald


  Symbols the merger of two wealthy families, challenges social norms, and serves as a commentary on social class and industrialization
• Social implications of Sheila and Gerald's engagement


  Social mobility, class boundaries, changing values, social justice, loss of innocence
• Erasure of social boundaries


  The marriage erases the social boundaries between the old aristocracy and the new wealthy elite