Sheila Birling key quotations and analysis

“A pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited.”

• Unaware of the reality of the working class

• Immaturity

“(Half serious, half playful)”

• Dramatic intention

• Cheerful and sensible character

“(Half serious, half playful)”

• Repetition as this is an indication Sheila will not be following her mother’s expectations

• Reflecting how the role of women changed after WW1

“Oh - Gerald - you’ve got it - is it one you wanted me to have?”

• Lack of power in relationship signifying the role of women in relationships back in 1912

“Careful! I’ll never let it go out of my sight for an instant.”

• Materialistic

• Priestley portrays the limited role of women in 1912

• Expectations of becoming wives then mothers

“Sorry! It’s just that I can’t help thinking about this girl - destroying herself so horribly - and, I’ve been so happy tonight. Oh I wish you hadn’t told me. What was she like? Quite young?”

• Priestley is showing Sheila is changing very gradually

• Depicting the roles of how the roles of women changed in 1912 - 1945

“Perhaps that spoilt everything for her.”

• Showing awareness of the impact Mr Birling had on Eva Smith

“But these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people.”

• Humanising them completely contradicting the older generation’s behaviour towards the situation

“Milwards! We go there - in fact - I was there this afternoon (archly to Gerald) for your benefit.”

• “For your benefit” she is dressing to please Gerald representing the power imbalance and gender divide

“I told the manager that if they didn’t get rid of that girl, I’d never go near the place again and I’d persuade mother to close our account with them.”

• Using her influence to get Eva fired

“If she’d been some miserable plain creature, I don’t suppose I’d have done it. But she was very pretty and looked as if she could take care of herself. I couldn’t be sorry for herself.”

• Jealous of Eva’s independence

“I’ll never, never do it again to anybody.”

• Learned her lesson and is beginning to accept responsibility

“Why - you fool - he knows. Of course he knows.”

• Assertive in acknowledging the Inspector’s omniscience

“No but you haven’t finished asking questions - have you?”

• Signifies the gradual change in the role of women as Sheila becomes more independent and thinking for herself

“And I know I’m to blame - and I’m desperately sorry.”

• Takes responsibility

“I talked about building a wall that’s sure to be knocked flat. It makes it all the harder to bear.”

• Metaphor - The wall is to show the division between the upper class and working class people as well as mimicking the generational gap

“No, he’s giving us the rope - so that we’ll hang ourselves.”

• She is metaphorically implying that lying will make the situation worse

“Nothing would induce me. I want to understand exactly what happens when a man says he’s so busy at the works that he can hardly ever find time to come and see the girl he’s supposed to be in love with.”

• Becomes more vocal

“You were the wonderful Fairy Prince. You must have adored it, Gerald.”

• Sarcastic metaphor - He was trying to help

“It was my fault really that she was so desperate when you first met her.”

• Taking responsibility “

“Father threw this girl out because she asked for decent wages. I went and pushed her further out just because I was angry and she was pretty. Gerald set him up as his mistress. Now you’re pretending you don’t recognise her from that photograph.”

• Acknowledges Mr B’s exploitation of the working class in order to protect his capitalistic nature

• Similar to the Inspector she speaks through his socialistic tone of reiterating that everyone is connected.

• Displays their involvement in Eva Smith’s life

“I knew everything was coming out - it was simply bound to come out tonight.”

• Sense of accepting and acknowledging responsibility

“I had her turned out of her job.”

• Accepts responsibility in Eva’s death

“I behaved badly too. I know I did. I’m ashamed of it. But now you’re beginning all over again to pretend that nothing much has happened -”

• Learnt from the Inspector’s visit and shows the generational gap within the family

“The point is, you don’t seem to have learnt anything.”

• Is now the voice of the Inspector

• Social responsibility

- Every man for himself

”Is that when the Inspector came, just after father said that?”

• Realises the significance of the existence of the Inspector

“I’m not being childish. It'‘s you two who are being childish - trying not to face the facts.”

• Compete opposite of how she was introduced to be as at the start

• Growth in the role of women, gaining a voice

• The need for change

• Socialism

“He was - frightening”

• Affected deeply by the idea of collective responsibility

“You’re just beginning to pretend all over again.”

• Criticising the upper class who reverted back to thinking everything was the same after war when actually society from 1912 to 1945 shifted to a socialist community after living through WW1 and WW2

“I want to get out of this. It frightens me the way you talk.“

• Is now a socialist

“You knew it then. You began to learn something. And now you’ve stopped. You’re ready to go on in the same old way.”

• Recognises the significance of the Inspector