- How does the tone change once the men are alone?
The tone changes when Sheila, Mrs. Birling and Eric leave the room. Now it’s serious. Both men start talking genuinely and the Inspector starts asking Mr. Birling questions that made him uncomfortable but he had no choice but to answer him with the truth.
- What outlook on life has Birling learnt in the ‘good hard school of experience’?
Birling's outlook of life that he had learnt in the “Good hard school of experience" is that a man has to make his own way and has to look after himself and his family. He states that everyone is a different person and that not everybody has to look after everyone else, as if they were all mixed up together like bees in a hive. Mr. Birling believes that as long as a man takes care of him and of his family he wont have any problem or difficulty in life.
- Why does the front door bell ring when it does?
The front door bell rang because somebody was at the door; it was a police inspector, called Inspector Goole. Nobody knew the reason why he was there but no one was willing to ask either.
- Why does Eric react ‘sharply’ to Gerald and Birling’s jokes?
Eric reacts ‘sharply’ when Gerald says, "Unless Eric's been up to something. And that would be awkward, wouldn't it?" because he was a bit drunk and also because he was, indeed, hiding something and neither his father nor Gerald thought he was capable of doing.
- What is the mood in the room before the inspector enters?
The mood in the room before the Inspector enters is uncomfortable, because everyone seems to be hiding something, but no one is willing to neither confess nor declare someone else as guilty. Besides there is an ominous feeling in the dinning room, because no one actually knows why the Inspector is there but they know that he isn’t there to tell good news.
- . Why does Eric respond ‘involuntarily’ to the Inspector’s news?
The Inspector had just described what happened to a woman, called Eva Smith, who had swallowed disinfectant and killed herself. Eric responds involuntarily "My God!" because he seems to know what the inspector was talking about, but didn’t want to say anything because he didn’t want to look guilty.
- How does Birling react to the reminder that he employed Eva Smith? How should he react to the photograph?
Mr. Birling has kind of a life 'policy' that says that everything that matters is yourself and your family. That is the reason why when the inspector shows up in his house with the picture of a woman who was his employee two years ago, he acts cold and indifferent. His reaction is according to his personality. If he wasn't like that, he would probably had felt afflicted, or give some type of importance, the moment when he received the news that a woman who used to work in his factory had committed suicide. If he were not so close-minded and cold, he would have felt and shown some kind of inquire or interest with the news and picture. He was sure that his decision of firing her was not relevant to Eva Smith’s suicide, so he didn't understand why the inspector was there interrogating him.
- Why does Birling start to ‘move restlessly’?
We can notice that Mr. Birling starts moving restlessly when the Inspector appears in his house and announces Eva Smith’s suicide. Taking into account, that he knew her because she was his employee and consequent Mr. Birling gets anxious and as a reaction he starts moving restlessly.
- What is the mood in the room when Sheila enters?
The mood is tense and anxious because Mr. Birling had admitted that he knew Eva Smith and that he actually fired her from his company, but still shows no apprehension for her death. When Sheila enters the room the conversation between the inspector and Mr. Birling is over but the reader can still feel the tension in the room.
- How does Sheila react to the Inspector’s news?
Firstly the Inspector tells Sheila about Eva Smith suicide but she seems not to understand the purpose of the Inspector’s visit. Then he explains that Eva Smith had gotten lucky and found another job at a shop, but had to leave because a customer had complained about her. Sheila recognizes the girl from the photograph and runs out of the room, because she actually felt overwhelmed and leaving the room was her first reaction. When Sheila comes back, she confesses that she made the manager of the shop fire Eva Smith due to a minor incident. Unlike her father, she regrets what she had done and feels responsible and guilty.
- “The other four exchange bewildered and perturbed glances” (page 18).
How are each of Sheila, Eric, Birling and Gerald now feeling?
After the inspector is done talking with Mr. Birling he states that he didn’t come only to talk with him, he is there because he knows more information. The inspector knows that more members of the Birling family recognize Eva Smith or know information about her but no one is eager to talk about it. The gesture of exchanging bewildered and perturbed glances, was when the inspector admitted that he wasn’t there only to see Mr. Birling and that’s when they all started to doubt of each other and when the uncertainty increased.
- What are Sheila’s and the Inspector’s attitudes to the situation in which Eva found herself after Arthur Birling sacked her?
The inspector narrates the situation, in which Eva was, after Arthur Birling sacked her, to Sheila and she seems very depressed listening to this poor girl’s life but then the inspector reveals that when Eva had finally found a job, she had been fired again because of a misunderstood. Sheila feels remorse and guilt because she was the one who had ruined Eva’s life again. Afterwards she becomes the most sympathetic family member, showing regret and blame on hearing the news of her part in the girl's downfall.
- Why does Sheila react so violently to the photograph?
She reacts violently because she recognized the girl from the Photograph and felt guilty and sad because of her death and because of her unpleasant life.
- What effect does the Inspector have upon Eric and Gerald while they are alone?
When the Inspector, Gerald and Eric are left alone in the dining room; Mr. Croft starts asking if he can have a look to the picture to the girl on the photograph but the Inspector refuses. Eric and Gerald don’t know why they need to be there, being part of the interrogation because they are regular citizens but not criminals. However, the Inspector acts a little bit mysterious when saying that there isn’t a much difference between being an ordinary and respectable citizens and a criminal because sometimes people kill in an indirectly way. Consequently both men that are being interrogated feel a bit confused.
23. How does each of Eric, Gerald and the Inspector react to Sheila’s story?
When Sheila tells her story, Eric and Gerald are surprised and amazed because of what she has done knowing the consequence of her behavior. Gerald tries to understand why his girlfriend reacted that way. On the other hand, the inspector knew Sheila was the one that made the manager fired Eva Smith. So, he isn’t surprised or amazed as the other men. Also, he is harsh towards Sheila telling her that she has part of the blame of Eva’s suicide and that it is too late to repair what she has done because the girl is already dead.
- How is Sheila affected by her realization?
When Sheila looks at the photograph of the woman, who had committed suicide, recognizes her with a little cry, gives a half-stifled sob and then runs out of the dining-room. She felt guilty because she was the one to blame about Eva Smith’s being sacked from her job at Mildwards.
26. What is Sheila thinking while she is ‘staring’ at Gerald (page 25)?
Sheila stares at Gerald after the Inspector had announced the name Eva Smith assumed after being sacked. When listening to the new name, Daisy Renton, Gerald became very tense. So, Sheila knew that something was going on. She realized that his future husband knew this girl. The young woman starts to suspect if Gerald was with Eva Smith the summer that he was absent. That summer, Gerald disappear and told Sheila that he was to busy with work. But his future wife wasn’t sure about it. So, when she stares at Gerald, is because she knows that something has happen between his fiancé and this woman who has recently died.
- What is the mood in the dining room as the Inspector re-enters?
Before the Inspector re-appears in the dining room, Sheila and Gerald had had a private conversation. Sheila realized that his future husband knew Eva Smith and that he was with her that summer he was absent. However, Gerald asks Sheila not to tell the Inspector about it. The moment the Inspector re-enters the mood is tense. He stares at both of them. Gerald is crushed because his girlfriend knows all the truth and at the same time, because he doesn’t know how much does the Inspector knows about what happened between him and Eva Smith or Daisy Renton. So, he is afraid about what can happen with him if the Inspector knows more than what he should.