An Inspector Calls

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Mr Arthur Birling
However, he is aware of people who are his social superiors, which is why he shows off about the port to Gerald, "it's exactly the same port your father gets."
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Mr Arthur Birling
He claims the party "is one of the happiest nights of my life." This is not only because Sheila will be happy, but because a merger with Crofts Limited will be good for his business.
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Mr Arthur Birling
He is extremely selfish: He wants to protect himself and his family. He believes that socialist ideas that stress the importance of the community are "nonsense" and that "a man has to make his own way."
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Mr Arthur Birling
He wants to hide the fact that Eric stole money: "I've got to cover this up as soon as I can."
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Mrs Sybil Birling
She is described at the start as "about fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband's social superior."
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Mrs Sybil Birling
is very dismissive of Eva, saying "Girls of that class."
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Mrs Sybil Birling
She sees Sheila and Eric still as "children"
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Mrs Sybil Birling
She tries to deny things that she doesn't want to believe: Eric's drinking, Gerald's affair with Eva, and the fact that a working class girl would refuse money even if it was stolen, claiming "She was giving herself ridiculous airs."
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Mrs Sybil Birling
She admits she was "prejudiced" against the girl who applied to her committee for help and saw it as her "duty" to refuse to help her.
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Sheila Birling
She is described at the start as "a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited."
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Sheila Birling
we know that she has had suspicions about Gerald when she mentions "last summer, when you never came near me." Does this suggest that she is not as naive and shallow as she first appears?
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Sheila Birling
she shows her compassion immediately she hears of her father's treatment of Eva Smith: "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people."
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Sheila Birling
She feels full of guilt for her jealous actions and blames herself as "really responsible."
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Sheila Birling
Significantly, she is the first to wonder who the Inspector really is, saying to him, 'wonderingly', "I don't understand about you." She warns the others "he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves" (Act II) and, near the end, is the firs
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Sheila Birling
She is angry with her parents in Act 3 for trying to "pretend that nothing much has happened." Sheila says "It frightens me the way you talk:" she cannot understand how they cannot have learnt from the evening in the same way that she has.
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Eric Birling
He is described at the start as "in his early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive."
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Eric Birling
Eric seems embarrassed and awkward right from the start. The first mention of him in the script is "Eric suddenly guffaws," and then he is unable to explain his laughter, as if he is nervous about something.
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Eric Birling
Gerald admits, "I have gathered that he does drink pretty hard."
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Eric Birling
When he hears how his father sacked Eva Smith, he supports the worker's cause, like Sheila. "Why shouldn't they try for higher wages?"
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Eric Birling
He feels guilt and frustration with himself over his relationship with the girl. He cries, "Oh - my God! - how stupid it all is!" as he tells his story.
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Eric Birling
He tells them forcefully, "I'm ashamed of you." When Birling tries to threaten him in Act III, Eric is aggressive in return: "I don't give a damn now."
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Eric Birling
He is not interested in his parents' efforts to cover everything up: as far as he is concerned, the important thing is that a girl is dead. "We did her in all right."
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Gerald Croft
He is described as "an attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy but very much the easy well-bred man-about-town."
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Gerald Croft
He tells Inspector Goole that he arranged for her to live in his friend's flat "because I was sorry for her;" she became his mistress because "She was young and pretty and warm-hearted - and intensely grateful."
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Gerald Croft
It is Gerald who confirms that the local force has no officer by the name of Goole, he who realises it may not have been the same girl and he who finds out from the infirmary that there has not been a suicide case in months. He seems to throw his ene
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Inspector Goole
He is described on his entrance as creating "an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. He is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit. He speaks carefully, weightily, and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the
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Inspector Goole
He works very systematically; he likes to deal with "one person and one line of enquiry at a time."
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Inspector Goole
He deals with each member of the family very firmly and several times we see him "massively taking charge as disputes erupt between them."
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Inspector Goole
Sheila tells Gerald, "Of course he knows."
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Inspector Goole
he stresses "I haven't much time." Does he know that the real inspector is shortly going to arrive?
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Inspector Goole
He leaves the family with the message "We are responsible for each other" and warns them of the "fire and blood and anguish" that will result if they do not pay attention to what he has taught them.
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Inspector Goole
Is he a ghost? Goole reminds us of 'ghoul'.
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Eva Smith
The Inspector, Sheila Gerald and Eric all say that she was "pretty." Gerald describes her as "very pretty - soft brown hair and big dark eyes."
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Eva Smith
She came from outside Brumley: Mr Birling speaks of her being "country-bred."
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Eva Smith
in Act 3 we begin to wonder whether Eva ever really existed. Gerald says, "We've no proof it was the same photograph and therefore no proof it was the same girl." Birling adds, "There wasn't the slightest proof that this Daisy Renton really was Eva S
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Eva Smith
Think about Eva's name. Eva is similar to Eve, the first woman created by God in the Bible. Smith is the most common English surname. So, Eva Smith could represent every woman of her class.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

He claims the party "is one of the happiest nights of my life." This is not only because Sheila will be happy, but because a merger with Crofts Limited will be good for his business.

Back

Mr Arthur Birling

Card 3

Front

He is extremely selfish: He wants to protect himself and his family. He believes that socialist ideas that stress the importance of the community are "nonsense" and that "a man has to make his own way."

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

He wants to hide the fact that Eric stole money: "I've got to cover this up as soon as I can."

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

She is described at the start as "about fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband's social superior."

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

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