"Yes-except for all last summer, when you never
came near me, and I wondered what had happened
to you. Yes, that's what you say"
(Sheila act one )
I think there is a big contrast to the Sheila we read before the Inspector visits and after the visit. Before he comes she is living in a fairy tale world of her own; she doesn't know what the real world is and is very oblivious to everything that is going on around her. During and after the visit of the inspector she begins to wake up and realise what the real world is like. It takes her a bit of time to be affected by the inspector but when she does she gets very affected.
When she first finds out why the Inspector is there she is horrified at the thought someone could do that to themselve.
"Sorry! It's just that I can't help thinking about
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?"
(Sheila act one)
I think that it is the line "Oh I wished you hadn't told me" that gives you the feeling that she likes to be kept in her own little life without having to know about anything that might be happening in others' lives in the outside world! She doesn't want to burst her protective bubble around her life1
Gradually as there talk with the inspector carried on Sheila gained more and more confidence and starts to realise how hard it is for people out in the real world "But those girls aren't cheap labour-they're people!"
When it comes out what Sheila had done to Eva Smith she feels a great sense of guilt for what she has done and she finally begins to realise that treating people with very little feelings has dire consequences.
"All right Gerald you needn't look at me like that.
At least, I'm trying to tell the truth. I expect you've
done things you're ashamed of too."
Not only here does she start to take the blame for what she has done, she also shows a great level of intuitation "I expect you've done things you're ashmed of too."
After Sheila has explained everything of what had happened, the audience and the reader will feel a sense of anger towards her for what she has done. Priestly doesn't want Sheila to be the centre of the blame; so rather than keeping her in the picture for the audience to dwell on what she has done, he sends her off and the Inspector goes straight onto Gerald and Daisy Renton.
In this confession of Gerald Sheila suddenly goes from being the villain to becoming the injured party which puts her back in the frame of being the young inexperienced in the real world child who is suddenly growing up very quickly to understand the realisation of the real world and maturity.
"Don't interfere, please, father. Gerald knows what
I mean, and you apparently don't."
(Sheila act two)
This is a very different affect to he one that the Inspector has on Mrs. Birling, Sheila's Mother. After the Inspector has revealed what Sheila had done to Eva Smith: Sheila is sincerely sorry for what she has done and very much regrets it. But her mother Mrs. Birling doesn't understand why both Sheila and the Inspector think she has done something wrong; she believes she was in the right and did the correct thing to do.
"I'm sorry, But I think she had herself to blame.
Simply because I've done nothing wrong-and you
know it."
(Mrs Birling Act two)
The only time she accepts that yes she has done something wrong is when, what she has done has affected her family (Eric-her son)
"Eric, I can't believe it. There must be some mistake.
You don't know what we've been saying. But I didn't
know it was you."
(Mrs. Birling act three)
Mrs Birling's character starts off as a gracious lady who has obviously came from a family with money. "Arthur, you're not supposed to say such things-"
But as the play progresses we begin to see what she is really like. The Inspector has very little effect on Mrs. Birling until it comes out that Eva Smith's/Daisy Renton's baby was actually her grandchild. It is then here that she begins to take responsibility for what she has done. But not for long-only until she finds another reason to let herself off any criticism.
Up to and before this Mrs. Birling blames everything on Eva Smith and then onto the man who got her in trouble "Go and look for the father of the child. It's his responsibility."
This is Sybil Birling's answer to everything in life just push the blame onto someone else.
I really don't think the Inspector has that much impact in Mrs. Birling; she doesn't really change any of her views, the only time she changes abit is when Eric becomes involved but once it comes to light that that the Inspector might not be an Inspector she begins to go back to her normal ways.
"He certainly didn't make me confess as you call it.
I told him quite plainly that I thought I had done no
more than my duty."
(Mrs Birling act three)
This is not the voice of someone who has been deeply affected by the visit of the Inspector and all the confessions, this is very different to the change of Sheila-who has finally grown up.
"Well, I must admit you came out of it better then
the rest of us. Well, he inspected us all right. And
don't let's start dodging and pretending now.
Between us we drove that girl to commit suicide."
I think that in that quote just sums up just how clearly the Inspector affected Sheila but he did not quite have the same affect on her mother.
BY NATALIE BARNICOTT 11a
