“She’d had a lot to say – far to much – so she had to go.”
He believes that Eva Smith is working class and shouldn’t have the right to speak. He believes that she is just labour and not a person and that he can just sack her and get some more labour in which hasn’t an opinion.
In the things that Mr Birling says makes the audience think he’s a fool.
“The titanic – sails next week – forty six thousand eight tons - forty six thousand eight tons – New York in five days – and every luxury – and unsinkable – absolutely unsinkable!”
This is dramatic irony, as the audience knows that the titanic sank and Mr Birling does not. This makes him look even more like a fool.
Sheila is a childish character, who in the start lives in her own little world.
“Im sorry. Daddy. Actually I was listening.”
She refers to her dad, as she was still a child this shows us that she isn’t proberly grown up yet.
Sheila got Eva sacked because a dress Sheila insisted on trying on did not suit her but when Eva held it up it suited her and she was jealous.
“And –I caught sight of this girl smiling at miss Francis – as if to say ‘doesn’t she look awful’ and I was furious.”
Sheila used her power to sack the girl just because she was jealous.
Sheila thought that she was doing the girl no harm because she was pretty
“If she’d been some miserable plain little creature, I don’t suppose I’d have done it. But she was pretty and looked as if she could take care of herself.”
Sheila believed that because Eva smith was pretty she would get on because in her little world being pretty and looking smart is all you need to be successful in life.
Throughout the play Sheila’s attitudes changes and she becomes more aware of the ‘Real world’.
At the beginning before the inspector arrived she was rather naïve and thought she could survive by just being pretty but her mum tries to teach her a little of the real world.
“ I don’t believe I will”
Sheila’s mum (Sybil) is teaching her something but she is not taking as much notice as she should.
During the inspectors visit Sheila begins to mature and realise about what really happens outside of her world.
“Why - you fool - he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don’t know yet. You’ll see. You’ll see.
This show she has matured because she is beginning to realise about what’s happening to herself. And is also teaching Gerald something.
After the inspectors visit Sheila has matured beyond her years and is trying to teach her family things.
“ I tell you - whoever that inspector was, anything but a joke. You know it then. You began to learn something. And now you’ve stopped”.
She’s showing her family how they learned something through the ordeal like her, but her family is going back to their old ways.
The audience see Sheila as a very childish girl who hasn’t got an idea about the real world but the audience begin to sympathise for her when she begins to realise what she’s done and start to regret it.
Gerald croft is a son of a rich and powerful businessman who Mr Birling see’s not just as a nice husband for his little girl but also as a business opportunity.
“You’re just the kind of son in law I’ve always wanted. Your father and I have been friendly rivals in business for some time now - though croft Ltd are both older and bigger then Birling and company – and now you’ve brought us together “say’s Mr Birling to him.
This show’s that he is just a stepping-stone for Mr Birling to get to his father.
Gerald croft involvement with Eva smith is that one summer when he didn’t come near Sheila at all. He was having an affair with Eva smith.
“No I wasn’t telling you a complete lie when I said I’d been very busy at the works all that time .we were very busy. But of course I did see a great deal of her.”
His attitude to this was that,
“It wasn’t disgusting”
He didn’t feel proud of what he did but he also wasn’t totally ashamed.
The audience relation to Gerald is he is stupid for having an affair and although Mr Birling say’s it’s normal for married businessmen he is naughty for doing so.
Mrs Birling is a typical wife of a middle class man. She believes that a mans place is at work and that woman has to just put up with their husbands and learn to live with their work coming first.
“When your married you’ll realise that men with important work do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business. You’ll have to get use to that, just I had.”
This shows that shows that she puts up with her husbands work just as all other middle class woman have to.
Eva smith came to Mrs Birling committee for help and support but she refused her help and slammed the door in her face.
“But it sounded ridiculous to me. so I was perfectly justified in advising my committee not to allow her claim for assistance.”
The real reason she refused was because Eva Smith first used the name Mrs Birling and this annoyed her and so she did not even consider what she was saying was truth.
The audience reaction to Mrs Birling is that she is awful for not helping Eva Smith and that after the inspector leaves Mrs B still acts like she has done nothing wrong and blames it on the other members of her family. This makes her sound cold-blooded.
