Character Analysis of Sheila in ‘An Inspector Calls’

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Character Analysis of Sheila in ‘An Inspector Calls’

  Sheila is unlike any other character in the play - she is far more conscientious and more sensitive than any of the others, and she does not express her opinion as frequently or forcefully as her parents.

  When Sheila hears of the death of Eva Smith she is genuinely shocked by the news, and despite the fact that she does not know her, she is still upset. We can see this from what she says when she hears the news: “Oh - how horrible!”. When the Inspector shows her a photograph of the girl she reacts much more dramatically than any of the others, which tells us that perhaps she had already realised that her behaviour towards the girl had been inappropriate and unnecessary, and that she was feeling guilty about it.

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  Sheila is more moral than the other characters and this can be seen throughout her questioning, and she is immediately sorry for having had a part to play in the demise of Eva Smith. When it is revealed that Sheila was the one who had Eva Smith made redundant she is immediately sorry and obviously upset that she did something like this. “It’s the only time I’ve ever done anything like that, and I’ll never, never do it again to anybody”, from this we can see that she is genuinely sorry, and rather than trying to make excuses ...

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