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Summary Sheila Birling in An Inspector calls
analysis of Sheila Birling
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Sheila Birling● She is engaged to Gerald croft
- She is initially pleased and excited at the prospect of her
marriage
- She becomes distressed when she hears that a young
woman, Eva Smith, has taken her own life.
- Reveals that she was responsible for Eva Smith’s dismissal
from Milwards shop.
- She recognises the Inspector cannot be lied to
- She breaks off the engagement to Gerald when she
discovers he had an affair with Daisy Renton/ Eva Smith.
- Reveals that Eric drinks too much
- Acknowledges her part in Eva Smith’s downfall and takes the
inspector’s words to heart.
● Out of all the characters, Sheila changes the most. She is greatly
troubled when she realises that her petty jealousy meant such a
hardship for Eva. She respects Gerald’s honesty about his affair,
but also has the courage to break off her engagement to him. Most
importantly, she is affected by the inspector’s words. Her focus on
frivolous concern shifts and she supports the need for social
justice. For Priestly, Sheila represents the belief that young people
are open to change.
● Sheila’s voice at the beginning of act one when we first meet her at
the dinner table, she is lively, childing Gerald ‘i should jolly well
think not’ or adopts a ‘mock aggressiveness’ ‘gerald - just you
object!’ as though she has no cares. Although she protests that
Gerald neglected her the previous year, her overall mood at this
time is carefree. This allows Priestly to create a dramatic contrast
in Sheila’s voice and mood after the Inspector arrives, and you can
find numerous examples of how her lightheartedness has changed
to distress, scorn or anxiety as Eva Smith’s story unfolds.
, ● ‘Oh - how horrible! Was it an accident?’ - shows her naivety to
assume that someone could drink a fatal amount of disinfectant ‘by
accident’ Sheila feels shock at the death of a young woman,
revealing that she can’t imagine someone not having a lot to live
for.
● ‘ i wouldn’t miss it for worlds’ - her bitterness at Gerald’s affair.
Although bitter, her curiosity needs to be satisfied and she is
strong enough to hear the full story.
● ‘I had turned her out of a job’ - shows she can confront her bad
behaviour. She is strong enough to accept responsibility for what
she has done and to feel regret, contrasting her parents.
● ‘It’s you two who are being childish - trying not to face the facts’ -
she recognises her parents’ faults and their failure to acknowledge
them. Sheila believes that it doesn’t matter whether the police
inspector is a real police officer or not. She is only concerned that
they all harmed someone.
● Priestley uses Sheila to show how attitudes of the wealthy, higher-classes
could be changed through educating them.
Connection to Eva -
● When she was in a bad mood, Sheila went shopping at Milward’s
● She got Eva fired because she felt that Eva was laughing at her – she
threatened to stop her family shopping there unless the manager fired Eva
Role in the family -
● Sheila is Mr and Mrs Birling's daughter.
● She is engaged to be married to Gerald Croft – this match takes place partly
so her father can become a closer business associate of Lord and Lady Croft.
● Sheila is treated like a child throughout the play – a characteristic of pre-war
society, where young women were still considered to be children until they got
married.
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