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GCSE English Literature · key term
A change in the usual relationship between characters, such as children becoming the moral teachers of their parents.
Used by AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas
Paper 2
A change in the expected relationship between characters, such as children becoming moral teachers to their parents.
Revise: Age and generationsPriestley dramatises this change through interruptions and role reversal. Sheila increasingly interrupts her mother to warn her, while Mrs Birling tries to silence her. Near the end of Act Two, Sheila recognises where the questioning is leading and cries, “Mother — stop — stop!”
Paper 1
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Priestley creates a role reversal: the daughter now tries to guide the mother.
Paper 1
A change in which characters hold authority or perform particular roles, such as children becoming the moral teachers of their parents.
Revise: Age and generationsThis is a role reversal. At the beginning, parents instruct their children; increasingly, Sheila tries to instruct her parents. Her warnings can also express concern for her family, rather than simple rebellion.
Component 2
Revise: Age and generationsNear the end of Act 2, she understands that the young father Mrs Birling is condemning must be Eric before her parents fully grasp it. This creates a role reversal: the daughter dismissed as childish sees more clearly than the adults who claim authority. The audience watches Mrs Birling ignore warnings that could have prevented her from unknowingly demanding her own son’s punishment.
