On the other hand, Gerald is an “easy well bred young man.” He is engaged to Sheila, until the Inspector makes Gerald confess about Eva Smith. He did not want to confess, because he was bothered about the knighthood, like Mr Birling. He was scared that if he told the truth about Eva Smith his high status would go, as in the early 19th century wealth, status and knighthood was very important to the rich people.
All changes on the arrival of the Inspector. At the beginning of the engagement, “the lightings were pink and intimate,” until the Inspector arrives, the lighting becomes “brighter and darker,” as the event of the play take their dramatic course and mood progressively changes. In the beginning the tone was naturalistic and it set a comfortable and self-satisfaction setting. Then all tone changes and the tone also becomes very harsh as the lightning to give us the clue of harm.
Thereafter, Sheila’s attitude changes from big-headed to being guilty because of Eva Smith’s case. Her emotions explode. “I know I’m to blame and I’m desperately sorry.” The word ‘desperately’ shows how dreadful she is feeling and how distraught she is. The audience feel sorry for her and we sympathise Sheila, even though she has committed a big crime as her guilt is more than enough for the readers.
Secondly, conflict is shown between Sheila and Mrs Birling. Sheila “(urgently cutting in) Mother don’t- please don’t. For your own sake, as well as ours, you mustn’t-“Mrs Birling, “(annoyed) Mustn’t- what? Really, Sheila!”
Stage directions used in the above quotation, “urgently cutting in”, shows that there is something wrong and it is vital for her to stop her mother talking about the girl’s suicide. She says that if you say something you are going to land yourself as well as the family into a problem. However Mrs Birling does not understand and she is trying to act very brave and smart. The stage directions “annoyed” shows how upset she is and how furious she is that how dare Sheila stop her?
Also when Mrs Birling enters when she has no clue about Sheila’s and Mr Birling’s involvement in the suicide, Gerald and Sheila’s beginning conversation, Eric’s drinking problem and also Inspector’s arrival , but still she enters “briskly and self confidently”. Her confidence is shown in the stage direction. There is a dramatic irony that shows that she is making a fool out of herself and she is arguing with Sheila for no reason and that is the audience knows she is going to be in trouble; there is no point showing off, but she does not know as this creates excitement for readers. Slowly tension is also increasing.
Again when Sheila was alerting her not to say anything about Eva Smith, she was patronising Sheila. Mrs Birling calls her a “child”, and Sheila is fully grown up woman. It just shows that Mrs Birling was over confident and she thought that she is only right and she cannot possibly be wrong.
Another reason she was thinking too much of herself is because probably she thinks is that Mr Birling was a ‘Lord Mayor two years ago and he is still a magistrate’, so because of the status and the wealth again she thinks she cannot be wrong and she is always right.
Conflict is shown between Sheila and Eric. Eric says, “My God, it’s a bit thick, when you come to think of it-“Sheila replies, (stormily) Oh shut up, Eric. I know, I know.”
The above quote shows me that there is a conflict between Sheila and Eric. Eric is sympathising the girl when he finds out that Sheila was involved in it, but it is sort of dramatic irony as audience know that who ever shows off too much or criticises others about the involvement in the suicide case will also be involved in it one way or the other. At the end we find out that he was the main culprit, so this is quite humorous.
Sheila is really annoyed as the stage directions, “stormily” suggests her anger and her guilt that do not keep reminding me again and again. She knows it was her fault and that is why she says “eagerly” that she was to blame. The word “eagerly” shows that she is impatient and she just cannot get over it that because of her the girl ‘killed’ herself.
There is also conflict when Mr Birling tells the Inspector about the girl and Eric questions him that “why should a girl be sacked just because she asked for higher wages?” So Mr Birling out of anger says, “It’s about time you learn to face a few responsibilities.” The sarcasm after a very important question again shows that Mr Birling because of the wealth and the status cannot bear to think or be told that he is wrong. It does not match his status.
Again out of arrogance, he asks showing off that what happened to the girl after he sacked her? “Get into trouble? Go on the streets?”
‘Get on the streets’ means prostitution. In the early nineteenth century prostitution was quite common. You would have 1 per 12 adult males, which would make up to 55,000 prostitutes. The only condition that seemed to dispose a woman to prostitution was economic relocation. If a woman was separated from her community and then lost her job, prostitution may have seemed the most favourable option.
Mr Birling is hinting to her poverty and if you were poor in early 19th century then you were degraded and this is the same thing Mr Birling is doing because she lost her job, had no money or less money, so that means she is poor and he thinks poor people are the ones who would fit into prostitution. It just shows how much money meant in those days; if you had money you had power and that meant you had everything, but if you did not have money then you had nothing.
Lastly conflict is shown between children and parents, meaning between Mr and Mrs Birling and Sheila and Eric.
The main point is that older people or generation always think they are right and all that matters to them is knighthood, scandal, wealth, status etc and nothing else. The younger generation learnt a lesson and accepted their mistakes without any fuss. Inspector could get through the message of socialism (system of social organization in which property and the distribution of income are subject to social control rather than individual determination or market forces) into the younger generation, but not older generation.
Eric says to Mr Birling when Eric told everyone his involvement with the girl and he was guilty of stealing money out of the office, “Because you’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble-that’s why.” This is a key quote because it shows that Mr or Mrs Birling did not care about their children, but the only thing they cared about was wealth and status. The children are highlighting their parent’s hypocrisy.
Mr Birling said that “it turned out unfortunately for me and your mother, that’s all-“So Sheila (scornfully) interrupts “That’s all.” Sheila was being disrespectful but she was reminding them do not pretend that nothing has happened. Again Sheila is telling them not to forget that all together, as a family, they “killed” her.
So overall, I conclude that Priestley has developed internal conflicts by using variety of techniques; like stage directions, lightning, sound, social and language and they suggest everything about the early 19th century, meaning in that era prostitution, poverty as well as wealth and status was very important. The moral of the role play that Priestley was campaigning through the Inspector for poverty. (EQUALITY AND UNITY)
