Act 3 Moment 6 (pg.69-72)
This is the scene where Gerald calls the infirmary if there was a suicide and Mr Birling calling the
police to ask them for a Inspector Goole, realizing both did not happen and they were fooled with a
plot twist at the end of the play.
Gerald: ‘(decisively) We can settle that at once’
- Getting his confidence back and goes back to his old ways
He goes to telephone and looks up number. The others watch tensely.
- Tense again because we can’t see nor hear the other side
Gerald: ‘This is Mr Gerald Croft- of Crofts Limited’
- Name drops as well
- Higher class reflected here
Birling wipes his brow, Sheila shivers. Eric clasps and unclasps his hand, etc.
- The tension is really high while they wait for the person to get back to them
Birling: ‘Nothing but an elaborate sell!’
- Starts celebrating it and forgets about it
- Still only cares about his knighthood and reputation
Gerald: ‘Thanks, I think I could just do with one now’
- Celebrating for nothing
- Forgets about it
Birling: ‘(going to sideboard) so could I’
- Pretend that never happened
Birling: ‘Come on, Sheila, don’t look like that. All over now.’
- Dismissive tone
Sheila: ‘but you’re forgetting one thing I still can’t forget. Everything we said had happened really
had happened. If it didn’t end tragically, then that’s lucky for us. But it might have done.’
- Still believes they did something wrong and takes responsibility
Birling: ‘(imitating inspector in his final speech) And I wish you could have seen the look on your
faces when he said that’
- Mocking the Inspector
- Never takes responsibility
- Generation divide
Sheila: ‘(tensely) I want to get out of this. It frightens me the way you talk.’
- Her message to the audience
- Removes herself
This is the scene where Gerald calls the infirmary if there was a suicide and Mr Birling calling the
police to ask them for a Inspector Goole, realizing both did not happen and they were fooled with a
plot twist at the end of the play.
Gerald: ‘(decisively) We can settle that at once’
- Getting his confidence back and goes back to his old ways
He goes to telephone and looks up number. The others watch tensely.
- Tense again because we can’t see nor hear the other side
Gerald: ‘This is Mr Gerald Croft- of Crofts Limited’
- Name drops as well
- Higher class reflected here
Birling wipes his brow, Sheila shivers. Eric clasps and unclasps his hand, etc.
- The tension is really high while they wait for the person to get back to them
Birling: ‘Nothing but an elaborate sell!’
- Starts celebrating it and forgets about it
- Still only cares about his knighthood and reputation
Gerald: ‘Thanks, I think I could just do with one now’
- Celebrating for nothing
- Forgets about it
Birling: ‘(going to sideboard) so could I’
- Pretend that never happened
Birling: ‘Come on, Sheila, don’t look like that. All over now.’
- Dismissive tone
Sheila: ‘but you’re forgetting one thing I still can’t forget. Everything we said had happened really
had happened. If it didn’t end tragically, then that’s lucky for us. But it might have done.’
- Still believes they did something wrong and takes responsibility
Birling: ‘(imitating inspector in his final speech) And I wish you could have seen the look on your
faces when he said that’
- Mocking the Inspector
- Never takes responsibility
- Generation divide
Sheila: ‘(tensely) I want to get out of this. It frightens me the way you talk.’
- Her message to the audience
- Removes herself
