The Character of Sheila Birling
- Created by: maha.shahzada
- Created on: 25-10-17 19:18
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- Sheila Birling
- Insightful
- Sheila is quick-witted as she quickly realises what the Inspector is trying to achieve while the others don't when she says "he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves"
- Moral
- Sheila is quick to realise that her father is wrong and stands up for working class girls like Eva Smith by saying "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people"
- She supports the truth and respects Gerald more for telling the truth, which is implied by "That's the best thing you've said tonight. At least it's honest"
- Sheila is the only one to regret her actions when she says "And if I could help her now, I would"
- Childish
- Priestley presents Sheila as being "half serious, half playful" and "very pleased with life and rather excited", making her seem child-like at first
- Sheila uses slang terms like "squiffy" which shows her immaturity at the start of the play. However, she changes as the play progresses, symbolising that the younger generation are more mature and open to change
- Similar to the Inspector
- Sheila questions Gerald about his role in Eva's life and wants to get to the point, in the same way that the Inspector does when she says "Were you in love with her, Gerald?" and "Did you go and see her every night?"
- Sheila moves the discussion on quickly and breaks shocking news to her brother, just like the Inspector does to the family, when she tells Eric about what their mother did to Eva as she says "She told mother", which suggests that the Inspector has had a significant effect on Sheila
- Assertive
- Sheila stands up for Eva in front of her own parents and accepts that her family has wronged Eva as she says "you mustn't try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl"
- Sheila's assertive tone at the end of the play when she says "I tell you - whoever that Inspector was, it was anything but a joke" shows that Sheila has matured and is aware of the impact that her actions have had
- Insightful
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