JB Priestly's Inspector Calls

A character who learned about social responsibility was Sheila Birling. During the inspector's stay, Sheila feels so bad about the news of Eva's death. Sheila felt that sacking Eva was a horrible thing to do:

"I think it's a mean thing to do....its a rotten shame"

When she is told of her involvement in Eva's death, Sheila cries and runs out the room. After a while, she enters back into the dining room where the inspector was.

"I felt rotten about it at the time and now I feel a lot worse"

She then explains how she went to the manager at Milwards and threatened to never go near the place again unless they got rid of Eva. Sheila then tells the inspector why she had her sacked and how it was all to do with jealousy:

"This girl, to show us what she meant, had held the dress up as if she was wearing it. And it just suited her; she was the right type just as I was the wrong type."

Sheila then goes on to say how she saw Eva and the assistant laughing at her as she was wearing the dress and how she was so furious. She then went to the manager and in recounting her story of what was said at the managers, she almost broke down in tears. She says that if she knew she couldn't take care of herself, she would never have done it. Sheila regrets what she done to Eva and knows it was a terrible thing to do:

"I've never done anything like that, and I'll never, never do it again to anybody."

During the entire stay of the inspector, Sheila seems to be the only member of the family who understands what's going on. She's the only one who knows that the inspector is already aware of everyone's involvement with Eva:

"I'm afraid you'll say something or do something that you'll be sorry for afterwards.....he knows, of course he knows and I hate to think just how much he knows that we don't know yet. You'll see, you'll see"

Mrs Birling's involvement with Eva really upset Sheila. She thinks that refusing a girl help when she needed it most was a horrible thing to do:

"Mother, I think it was cruel and vile."

J.B Priestly makes us feel sympathetic towards Sheila because she regrets what she did and has learned about social responsibility.

In contrast, a character who did not learn about social responsibility was Sybil Birling. When the inspector begins to question Sybil, she seems to be hiding the truth but finally tells the inspector everything. She reveals how she refused to give Eva help and admits to disliking her. She thought the fact that she used the name 'Mrs Birling' was appalling and also admits to disliking Eva's attitude. Another reason to why Sybil refused charity to Eva was because she thought that the father of the baby should take full responsibility, unaware of Eric's involvement.

After the truth is out and the Inspector has left, Sybil doesn't appear to have learnt a lesson from what she had done. Both she and Arthur are all too happy to dismiss the evening's events as a lie once the chance appears that the inspector may not have been a real police inspector.

Sybil's character stays the same virtually from beginning to end, except in the short amount of time between Eric's part in the saga and the inspector leaving wavered determination that they were right. Sybil has not learnt any social responsibility and tries to ignore the fact that what she did was wrong!

After Sheila's outburst about everyone pretending that nothing happened, Sybil doesn't understand why they can't go on as it was before:

"Well, why shouldn't we?"

She believes that Sheila and Eric are just tired and that in the morning they will be amused just as she and Arthur are.

It can be argued that Sybil's attitude is Imperious and Pompous towards both the rest of the family and the inspector.

The ending of the play symbolises the fact that if you do not learn your lesson the first time, you will be taught it again and again. It symbolises that you can't run from your guilt, as the Birling's will find out. Priestley uses the dramatic twist of the inspector returning at the end of the play to emphasise this point and makes it more effective by placing it just as some characters are beginning to relax. It serves to "prick" the consciences of both the characters and the audience.