SHEILA BIRLING

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

• Suggests silliness and naivety

• Originally appears self interesting

• Relishing her engagement to Gerald which initially aligns with her families shallow and materialistic outlook

• Portrayed as both sympathetic and courages as she is first to empathise with Evas predicament

  • Also the first to confess to her poor treatment of Eva

  • Dramatically exits when first shown Eva, appearing genuinely regretful

  • Many others refuse to accept responsibility, she shows a greater maturity than how she is first depicted

• Conveys a greater sense of intuition than other characters

• Her dialogue in Act 1 foreshadows future events in the play

  • Comments on how Gerald stayed away from her all the previous summer

    • Alluding to his affair

  • Accuses Eric of being drunk

    • Foreshadowing his drinking problem

  • First to suspect the inauthenticity of the Inspector, but understands its irrelevant

• Language becomes increasingly emotional

  • Sharply contrasts with the pompous language of her father and the condescending tone of her mother

  • Dialogue reveals her sensitive nature and her compassion and empathy for others less fortunate than her

  • Demonstrates her increasing assertiveness toward her parents

• Sheila and Eric develop more than the others, Sheila transforms the most

  • Eric echoes many of his sisters sentiments, Sheila is more assertive and alluring

  • Refuses to continue her engagement with Gerald despite him claiming ‘everything’s alright now’

• Represents the younger generation, providing an element of hope