Sheila Birling
Quick summary points
‣ Overall most changed character demonstrates younger generation’s ability to mature
‣ Is a product and victim of her environment
‣ Determination to accept responsibility
‣ Parallel to Eva
‣ Ideal reaction to Inspector’s message
Notes on character
‣ Begins superficial and jealous - Sheila and Gerald’s engagement is built on capitalism and materialism
⤷ Immature and insecure - her view of the world is warped by her reliance on materialism and appearance for
value, this system of value links to the social classes and the need to improve appearance
⤷ Sheila is a product of her environment, she is a victim of:
◦ Gender inequality - reliance on husband, no political freedom, poor education, materialism
◦ Age bias - younger generation infantilised
◦ Social class - indoctrinates her into believing her worth is based on her ability to attract a man
◦ Parents - influence and encourage her immaturity and materialism
‣ Demonstrates the younger generation’s ability to mature and change in contrast to adults
⤷ Receptive to inspector’s message, notably evolves from jealous instincts to sense of social responsibility
⤷ Becomes inspectors proxy after he leaves - rejecting parents views
⤷ Maturity doesn’t necessarily increase with age
‣ Parallels between Eva and Sheila - similarity in age, gender and appearance
⤷ Audience realises distinction is class - Sheila is excited by potential for social climbing, Eva has fallen so far
into poverty that she is driven to suicide (her class has sentenced her to suffering and untimately death)
⤷ It also gives Sheila the most ability to empathise
⤷ Though not exploited to the same extent Sheila is still a controlled by men and has to surrender autonomy
⤷ Personal reflection in Eva makes her unable to deny her responsibility for Eva’s death
‣ She is the ideal recipient of the Inspector’s message
⤷ Instantaneous recognition of the Inspectors message and responds to her father’s dehumanising and
capitalist approach to business as well as her own repentance
⤷ Demonstrates how Priestley wants the audience to react - encouraging them to propagate the message
‣ Contrasts other characters with her determination to accept her responsibility (alone in her responsibility)
Key character Quotes
Responsibility Materialism
‣ ‘Oh - how horrible’ ‣ ‘Now I really feel engaged’
‣ ‘It was my own fault ‣ ‘Is it the one you wanted me to have’
‣ ‘I behaved badly too, I know I did’
‣ ‘If I could help her now, I would’ Capitalism vs. Socialism
‣ ‘Pretty?’
Younger generation ‣ ‘But these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people’
‣ ‘It’s you two who are being childish- trying not to ‣ ‘Impertinent is such a silly word’
face the facts’
‣ ‘It frightens me, the way that you talk’
Maturity
‣ ‘Pretty girl in her early twenties’
‣ ‘Very pleased with life and rather excited’
‣ ‘You and I aren’t the same people’
‣ ‘You don’t seem to have learnt anything’
‣ ‘No, not yet. It’s too soon. I must think’
, Mrs Birling
Quick summary points
‣ Symbolic of upper class’ resistance to change - static character
‣ Hypocrisy of upper classes - selective responsibility
‣ Perpetuates suffering of the working class
‣ Self importance and entitlement (manifestation of cardinal sin of pride)
‣ Fixation on image prevents her development
Notes on character
‣ Complicit in her own oppression - committed to maintaining and upholding the patriarchy, inflicting this on Sheila
⤷ Upholding division by maintaining a system which provides her with privilege, sacrificing her freedom
‣ Recognises marriage as a tool for social and financial climbing - transactional
⤷ Sees affairs (eg. suggestion of Mr Birling’s affair, Gerald and Eva/Daisy) as expected of men as she does
not view love, loyalty and trust as the foundations of a good marriage
⤷ Her marriage was a transaction (Mr birling’s financial stability for her Social standing)- married in the
interest of social mobility and financial gain
‣ Shows little emotion and is self-interested (‘cold woman’ - not maternal and sensitive) - detached to suffering
⤷ Ignorant to the lives and suffering of the poor, only accepting convenient truths
‣ Rejection of women’s suffrage
⤷ Views it as undermining the traditional gender roles and foundation of family
⤷ Conservative view that women should remain moral and domestic excluding themselves from politics
⤷ Her ability to take this stance demonstrates her privilege and suffrage threatens her comfortable lifestyle
⤷ Conservatism = resistance to change
‣ Sheila rejects her mother’s manipulation by the end of the play
⤷ Echoes Mrs Birling’s use of ‘impertinent’ in ehr description of Eva, however by the end she declares
‘Impertinent is such a silly word’ making it clear Mrs B has lost all control and influence over her daughter
‣ Juxtaposed to Sheila - two contrasting female characters presented in different lights to influence the audience
‣ Abhorrence to Inspector’s message of social responsibility
⤷ Disliking of his tone because of the class difference, use of passive-aggression, he violates the class system
‣ Maintains repugnance for Eva Smith due to inferior social class - dismissive and indifferent
‣ More concerned by her children’s social image than their wellbeing
⤷ Indifferent to Eric’s welfare, refusing to show any sympathy as his position jeopardises her reputation
‣ Static character - remains ideologically the same at the end of the play
⤷ Her perception of duty remains limited to capitalist social duty (keeping the rich rich and the poor poor)
and through this she neglects her moral duty to provide assistance (morally hypocritical)
⤷ Rejects any sense of responsibility
⤷ Attachment to and importance of image prevents her from changing - manifestation of cardinal sin of pride
‣ Deliberate abuse of power - source of poverty is the greed and immorality of upper classes
Key character Quotes
Responsibility Pride
‣ ‘A piece of gross impertinence’ ‣ ‘Don’t contradict me like that’
‣ ‘She only had herself to blame’ ‣ ‘A trifle impertinent’
‣ ‘I did nothing i’m ashamed of’ ‣ ‘[with dignity] we’ve done a great deal of useful work
‣ ‘I did my duty’ helping deserving cases’
‣ ‘First I blame the girl herself. Secondly, I ‣ ‘What business is it of yours?’
blame the young man’ ‣ ‘Don’t contradict me like that’
‣ ‘He’d be entirely responsible … compelled to ‣ ‘Claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples’
confess in public his responsibility’ Prejudice
Class ‣ ‘Girls of that class’
‣ ‘Her husband’s social superior’ ‣ ‘One of the things which prejudiced me against her case’
‣ ‘Arthur you’re not supposed to say such things’ ‣ The rude way he spoke … quite extraordinary
‣ ‘Disgusting affair’
Quick summary points
‣ Overall most changed character demonstrates younger generation’s ability to mature
‣ Is a product and victim of her environment
‣ Determination to accept responsibility
‣ Parallel to Eva
‣ Ideal reaction to Inspector’s message
Notes on character
‣ Begins superficial and jealous - Sheila and Gerald’s engagement is built on capitalism and materialism
⤷ Immature and insecure - her view of the world is warped by her reliance on materialism and appearance for
value, this system of value links to the social classes and the need to improve appearance
⤷ Sheila is a product of her environment, she is a victim of:
◦ Gender inequality - reliance on husband, no political freedom, poor education, materialism
◦ Age bias - younger generation infantilised
◦ Social class - indoctrinates her into believing her worth is based on her ability to attract a man
◦ Parents - influence and encourage her immaturity and materialism
‣ Demonstrates the younger generation’s ability to mature and change in contrast to adults
⤷ Receptive to inspector’s message, notably evolves from jealous instincts to sense of social responsibility
⤷ Becomes inspectors proxy after he leaves - rejecting parents views
⤷ Maturity doesn’t necessarily increase with age
‣ Parallels between Eva and Sheila - similarity in age, gender and appearance
⤷ Audience realises distinction is class - Sheila is excited by potential for social climbing, Eva has fallen so far
into poverty that she is driven to suicide (her class has sentenced her to suffering and untimately death)
⤷ It also gives Sheila the most ability to empathise
⤷ Though not exploited to the same extent Sheila is still a controlled by men and has to surrender autonomy
⤷ Personal reflection in Eva makes her unable to deny her responsibility for Eva’s death
‣ She is the ideal recipient of the Inspector’s message
⤷ Instantaneous recognition of the Inspectors message and responds to her father’s dehumanising and
capitalist approach to business as well as her own repentance
⤷ Demonstrates how Priestley wants the audience to react - encouraging them to propagate the message
‣ Contrasts other characters with her determination to accept her responsibility (alone in her responsibility)
Key character Quotes
Responsibility Materialism
‣ ‘Oh - how horrible’ ‣ ‘Now I really feel engaged’
‣ ‘It was my own fault ‣ ‘Is it the one you wanted me to have’
‣ ‘I behaved badly too, I know I did’
‣ ‘If I could help her now, I would’ Capitalism vs. Socialism
‣ ‘Pretty?’
Younger generation ‣ ‘But these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people’
‣ ‘It’s you two who are being childish- trying not to ‣ ‘Impertinent is such a silly word’
face the facts’
‣ ‘It frightens me, the way that you talk’
Maturity
‣ ‘Pretty girl in her early twenties’
‣ ‘Very pleased with life and rather excited’
‣ ‘You and I aren’t the same people’
‣ ‘You don’t seem to have learnt anything’
‣ ‘No, not yet. It’s too soon. I must think’
, Mrs Birling
Quick summary points
‣ Symbolic of upper class’ resistance to change - static character
‣ Hypocrisy of upper classes - selective responsibility
‣ Perpetuates suffering of the working class
‣ Self importance and entitlement (manifestation of cardinal sin of pride)
‣ Fixation on image prevents her development
Notes on character
‣ Complicit in her own oppression - committed to maintaining and upholding the patriarchy, inflicting this on Sheila
⤷ Upholding division by maintaining a system which provides her with privilege, sacrificing her freedom
‣ Recognises marriage as a tool for social and financial climbing - transactional
⤷ Sees affairs (eg. suggestion of Mr Birling’s affair, Gerald and Eva/Daisy) as expected of men as she does
not view love, loyalty and trust as the foundations of a good marriage
⤷ Her marriage was a transaction (Mr birling’s financial stability for her Social standing)- married in the
interest of social mobility and financial gain
‣ Shows little emotion and is self-interested (‘cold woman’ - not maternal and sensitive) - detached to suffering
⤷ Ignorant to the lives and suffering of the poor, only accepting convenient truths
‣ Rejection of women’s suffrage
⤷ Views it as undermining the traditional gender roles and foundation of family
⤷ Conservative view that women should remain moral and domestic excluding themselves from politics
⤷ Her ability to take this stance demonstrates her privilege and suffrage threatens her comfortable lifestyle
⤷ Conservatism = resistance to change
‣ Sheila rejects her mother’s manipulation by the end of the play
⤷ Echoes Mrs Birling’s use of ‘impertinent’ in ehr description of Eva, however by the end she declares
‘Impertinent is such a silly word’ making it clear Mrs B has lost all control and influence over her daughter
‣ Juxtaposed to Sheila - two contrasting female characters presented in different lights to influence the audience
‣ Abhorrence to Inspector’s message of social responsibility
⤷ Disliking of his tone because of the class difference, use of passive-aggression, he violates the class system
‣ Maintains repugnance for Eva Smith due to inferior social class - dismissive and indifferent
‣ More concerned by her children’s social image than their wellbeing
⤷ Indifferent to Eric’s welfare, refusing to show any sympathy as his position jeopardises her reputation
‣ Static character - remains ideologically the same at the end of the play
⤷ Her perception of duty remains limited to capitalist social duty (keeping the rich rich and the poor poor)
and through this she neglects her moral duty to provide assistance (morally hypocritical)
⤷ Rejects any sense of responsibility
⤷ Attachment to and importance of image prevents her from changing - manifestation of cardinal sin of pride
‣ Deliberate abuse of power - source of poverty is the greed and immorality of upper classes
Key character Quotes
Responsibility Pride
‣ ‘A piece of gross impertinence’ ‣ ‘Don’t contradict me like that’
‣ ‘She only had herself to blame’ ‣ ‘A trifle impertinent’
‣ ‘I did nothing i’m ashamed of’ ‣ ‘[with dignity] we’ve done a great deal of useful work
‣ ‘I did my duty’ helping deserving cases’
‣ ‘First I blame the girl herself. Secondly, I ‣ ‘What business is it of yours?’
blame the young man’ ‣ ‘Don’t contradict me like that’
‣ ‘He’d be entirely responsible … compelled to ‣ ‘Claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples’
confess in public his responsibility’ Prejudice
Class ‣ ‘Girls of that class’
‣ ‘Her husband’s social superior’ ‣ ‘One of the things which prejudiced me against her case’
‣ ‘Arthur you’re not supposed to say such things’ ‣ The rude way he spoke … quite extraordinary
‣ ‘Disgusting affair’
