Gerald Croft, an attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be dandy but very much the easy well-bred young man-about-town. “...Hear hear. And I think my father would agree to that” Gerald is looking forward to get married with Sheila, he knows that when they are married both families would be working together in business. His attitude to the future are almost the same as Arthur Birling, nice and perfect live. Gerald's ‘easy manner’ was simply disrupted by the Inspector as he asked whether he knew Eva Smith after Sheila had made her lost her job. At the moment when Sheila was being asked, and after she admitted it. Gerard found Sheila was a spoilt daughter. This doesn’t make the character’s change but the way the audience looks at her differently before the Inspector came. How ever, Gerald didn’t know Eva smith earlier in this Act, because he knew Eva Smith as Daisy Renton. This was because Eva Smith decided to change her name, to make her life much better. But instead she made her wrong choice. Eva spent few months with Gerald after him rescuing her from this man in the famous local pub. After all those months with Eva, he discharged her afterwards, which made her really upset. “... I didn’t ask for anything in return...” he’s not taking any responsibility for having sex with Eva Smith. He’s just kept her like a mistress and to be discharged when no longer wanted. “ ... She didn’t blame me at all. I wish God she had now. Perhaps I’d feel better about it. ” Gerald feels that they way he treated Eva Smith was wrong, he knew h should kept her as a mistress and would have take responsibility during that time.
“I must say, we are learning something tonight...” A rather cold woman and her husband’s superior. She’s different to Birlings, she’s from the upper class people who are from the ‘posh’ part of the family. Her attitude to her family was being so powerful and sound like as she’s in control with everything. At that part of the play she knows that she didn’t understand her family properly. And the Inspector had made her understand more about them each individual. Sheila went mad with her mother at this Act. This was because Sheila knew something about this inspector and Mrs Birling hasn’t notice. And Mrs Birling was briskly and self confidently, in fact her was very calm. Sheila was warning her not to say something that aren't true. “You see, I feel you’re beginning all wrong. And I’m afraid you’ll say something or do something that you’ll be sorry for afterwards...” She’s trying to her mother’s attention and understand that this inspector knows everyone of them that has don something guilty. “... You mustn't try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl. If you do then the inspector will break it down...” Mrs Birling is a member of the Brumley Women's charity. She met Eva Smith there because she was calling herself Mrs Birling, and ask for money for herself and the baby. “... Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility...” Mrs Birling was mad with her for insulting her name, and she thinks that the father of the child should take the responsibility and she's not willing to help her. “ ...I did nothing that I’m ashamed of or what won’t bear investigation...” She’s telling the audience that there’s nothing she’s done to Eva Smith was wrong. And she was only doing what she was suppose to do. But to the Inspector she was just being stupid. She used her power as the most important person in the charity, who told Eva to go away because she wasn’t respecting her.
Eric was the youngest character in this play and are the last person who met Eva Smith. After the way Gerald treated Eva Smith, he had hurt her so badly. But Eric was the last person who had known her. “Suddenly I felt I just had to laugh” At the beginning he was talking like a normal guy that has nothing wrong with him. But after some questions from the inspector. We all know that he wasn't a normal guy. He always drink very badly. To the inspector, Eric doesn’t treat Eva like a person. But instead as an ‘animal’. By the attitude of Eva smith towards Eric, she knows he doesn’t love her. She knew Eric was stealing money for her, and by this, she already know he won't take any of the responsibility. When he told the inspector that the stole money was from his father Arthur Birling, Birling went really mad with Eric “... You damn fool, why didn’t you come to me when you found yourself in the mess?” Eric then respond “...because you’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he's in trouble- that's why...” The relationship between Birling and Eric are not very close. They both don’t understand each other. Eric went mad with his mother when he found out that Eva needs help and she turned her away “... Then- you killed her. She came to you protect me- and you turned her away- yes, and you killed her- and the child she’d have had too- my child- your own grandchild- you killed both of them- damn you ,damn you.” At this moment he was so stressed out with his mother. He didn’t know what to do, because all he thought was Eva last saw her and asked for help and she refused to help. And he felt really guilty that he shouldn’t been like this and treat her that badly.
After you have read all the explanation of all the characters, I hope you would understand that each characters have their own roles in different position in the play.
After reading all the details about the characters. I hope you would have an idea of what this play and the characters is based on and their own personal secrets. I made the inspector like acting out what I want the audience to understand about the meaning of this play and the way this play was set. In the Act one, audience would feel the tension and atmosphere that the Birlings were having. The family started happily and quite warming, like a normal family. But the tension when the Inspector has entered. They already notice that he wasn’t someone who is there for a good time. In fact it makes the audience that he is someone that would change everything. This catches attention an make the audience engaged. They would feel Sheila, one of the characters as a spoilt character, this is because she acts out. The whole scene makes The performances goes back to the history before the second world war and it is the central theme of the play, with nothing unconnected to distract the audience's attention. The audience’s interest is sustained not only be progressive revelations but by their desire to find out who, untimely, was the responsible for driving Eva to suicide. This is what the audience should be thinking about during different acts and as the Inspector ask questions.
As I did say earlier on in this letter, that I wasn’t really pleased with the way you comment on the way I have made the Inspector was never revealed.
The inspector is the most important character in this play. He caused most dramatic devices in this play, this makes him the central to the structure and narrative of the play. He also cause even more mysterious at the end when the characters act out who wondering who he was, this causes the audiences' attention and making them engaged. He also has the part of acting out many dramatically emotions to each characters. The role of the inspector causes he went around each characters and asking some questions. This is the dramatic structure, each characters at the end would have something guilty that they have done. This wouldn’t make the audiences and the characters themselves feel really annoyed during different acts. Also catches the audiences concentration.
After you have read this letter I would hope you have understand more and this play and theme of it. This isn’t just for a laugh, it has contained many messages for the audience to understand and to remember.
With many thanks
Your sincerely
J.B Priestley