KEY QUOTES

• "A rather cold woman" - {stage directions}


  'cold':

  • lacks warmth - symbolises that she doesn't sympathise with lower classes
  • upset - maybe about her marriage
• "Husband's social superior" - {stage directions}


  -suggests that MR B only married her for an increase in status/ he climbs the social ladder which is shown as he pushes for Sheila and Gerald's marriage.

  -distant relationship
• "when you're married, you'll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend all their time and energy on their business. You'll have to get used to that, just as I had."[pt1]


  -'You'll have to get used to that, just as I had' Suggests that Mrs B has also experienced MR B'S lack of affection during their marriage and the cruel, selfish gains of MR B. - warning to Sheila to not get attached to Gerald.
• "when you're married, you'll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend all their time and energy on their business. You'll have to get used to that, just as I had."
 [pt2]


  -'spend all their time and energy on their business' implies that women are less important in the family and society as a whole - unworthy of a man's time -> directly exploring the patriarchal society of the Edwardian era.
• "Girls of that class"


  -"girls"> judges Eva as if she were the microcosm of the whole working class. -> gender stereotyping lower class women.

  -"class"> focuses on the members and not the people of society
• "I used my influence to have it refused"

  • admitted to her prejudice towards Eva but doesn't see the issue with her sin.
  • "My" - the use of first person possessive pronoun > evokes a sense of authority/entitlement to her character as she speaks with judgement on social class.
  • Futhermore, also suggests that she uses her "influence" for immoral and unfair deeds and only owns a women's charity for clarity and face for her 'social superiority'.
• "[staggered] Well, really! Alderman Meggarty! I must say - we are learning something tonight."


  • sees the upper class as perfect and therefore is shocked that a member of the upper class could behave and act in a way that she believes only the working class could.
  • ! > the exclamations indicate that her tone was loud - demonstrating her shock.
  • proves her ignorant nature as Alderman Meggarty has thinned the image of the middle class as 'respectable'.
• "But I think she has herself only to blame"


  MRS B feels no sympathy for Eva and accepts no responsibility for her death as she feels she is superior due to her class.

  • doesn't give into the inspector's aim to teach the family about their role in her death.
  • sees her place in the charity organisation to not acc help people but decide their worthiness of getting help by their class.
  • & CLASS is a deciding factor to her views
• "I'll tell you what I told her, Go and look for the father of the child. It's his responsibility."

  she takes the responsibility away from herself & least sympathetic in the whole family.

  • Her actions had the greatest impact though which Priestley does purposefully to show that the upper classes are oblivious to their surroundings and the rest of society.
  • use of imperatives "go"> further show that she is eager to take blame from herself.
  • "his"> possessive pronoun - blames Eric [unaware atm] -> sense of disgust as Eva is unmarried and pregnant. Blame is on anyone but herself
• "[severely] You're behaving like a hysterical child tonight"


  MRS B is accusing SHEILA of being immature and childish as she shows an interest in the case - goes against how women were expected to act at the time

  • links to social context