Sheila and Eric Birling are described as ‘impressionable’ by the inspector. Do their characters change throughout the investigation, and do you think that they will have learnt something from this experience? Refer to the film version that we ha
Sheila and Eric Birling are described as 'impressionable' by the inspector. Do their characters change throughout the investigation, and do you think that they will have learnt something from this experience? Refer to the film version that we have studied also.
The play in the book opens on a happy scene: the announcement of Sheila and Gerald's engagement. There is a minor argument between Sheila and Eric after Eric laughs at Sheila when she teases Gerald. Mr Birling makes a lot of speeches, and even includes something about business in one:
"...perhaps we may look forward to the time when Crofts and
Birlings are no longer competing but working together..."
This shows that he thinks of business all the time, and that it is very important to him, so important that he brings it up in the middle of a celebration for his daughter.
When Gerald produces an engagement ring for Sheila, she almost starts crying because she is so happy. Sheila and her mother leave the 'men' alone, and go into the drawing room. The Inspector knocks at the door shortly afterwards, and he enters the room containing the 'men'. Mr Birling immediately thinks it must be something to do with him being on the 'bench', and so it's probably about a warrant. When the Inspector states the nature of his visit, and how the young girl died, Eric says:
(Involuntarily) "My God!"
He says it involuntarily, showing that it has shocked him, and it was his natural, unforced reaction to the information. Mr Birling, however, says:
(Rather impatiently) "Yes. Yes. Horrid business."
This shows that he doesn't care how she died, and has no compassion for her, but instead, why it brings the inspector to his house. Gerald doesn't speak, and there are no stage directions that say anything about his reaction, but in the film version we studied, he showed no compassion either. This shows that Eric was the only person in the ...
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(Involuntarily) "My God!"
He says it involuntarily, showing that it has shocked him, and it was his natural, unforced reaction to the information. Mr Birling, however, says:
(Rather impatiently) "Yes. Yes. Horrid business."
This shows that he doesn't care how she died, and has no compassion for her, but instead, why it brings the inspector to his house. Gerald doesn't speak, and there are no stage directions that say anything about his reaction, but in the film version we studied, he showed no compassion either. This shows that Eric was the only person in the group on whom the description of the girl's death had any impact or impression. Mr Birling then tells the Inspector his involvement in the girl's life, and Eric questions his father's judgement, and tells him that he would have let the girl stay. Sheila enters the room soon after, and is oblivious to the fact the Inspector is there, or to the seriousness of his visit:
(Gaily) "Oh - sorry. I didn't know. Mummy sent me..."
When Sheila finds out about the Eva Smiths' death, she is very distressed. She seems defensive about the Inspector when she realises he wants to speak with one of them, stopping her father from taking control. She feels sorry for Eva, and is sympathetic:
"It's a rotten shame."
Sheila and Eric take the side of the inspector, and fight their father and Gerald. When Sheila hears how Eva was treated in the works and after she says:
"...these girls aren't cheap labour-they're people."
She is surprised when she hears about how Eva got a good job in a shop she knows:
"Milwards! We go there..."
When she realises that she is partly to blame for Eva's suicide, she runs out after 'a little cry and a half-stifled sob'. When she comes back, after seeing the photograph, she tells the Inspector:
"You knew it was me all the time, didn't you?"
To which he replies"
"I had an idea it might be-from something the girl herself wrote."
She realises that the Inspector knew about the whole thing, and was just after confessions, and to prove to them that they were not perfect, just because they were high-class people. Sheila then explains everything only using the excuse that she was in a furious temper, knowing it would be worse for her, and futile, if she hid anything.
Mrs Birling comes in to the room after Gerald's confession, which he is not sorry for what he has done, and immediately 'builds bridges between them and the girl'. Sheila starts to tell her mother not to that, but Mrs Birling does not understand, and tells the Inspector:
"You seem to have made a great impression on this child, Inspector."
To which he replies:
"We often do on the young ones, they're more impressionable."
Sheila is constantly telling and warning her mother and father to be more sensitive about the case. Mr and Mrs Birling believe that what they did was right, after Mrs Birling's involvement in the case is revealed, and that Eva 'had only herself to blame'. She states:
"Unlike the other three, I did nothing I'm ashamed of..."
Therefore Mrs Birling is set in her ways, and believes nothing the Inspector says will change her mind:
"...you're quite wrong to suppose I shall regret what I did."
Sheila and Eric are very sorry for what they've done, and accept their share of the blame, but Mr and Mrs Birling believe the only person to have done wrong is Eric. Mr Birling is more annoyed that Eric stole money from his business, and if there was a public scandal he couldn't get his knighthood, than about anything to do with Eva's suicide, and how his family drove her to it.
Mr and Mrs Birling thinks that because the Inspector wasn't a real inspector, it doesn't matter what they have confessed and found out about each other, and their involvement in Eva's suicide. Gerald also believes this.
To ease their guilty consciences, Gerald comes up with excuses about why they shouldn't blame each other, or themselves:
* The same photograph was never shown to more than one person at a time, so they could have been looking at different people.
* Inspector Goole lied about being an inspector, and so could have made up the rest as well, as Gerald checked with the police.
* He phones the infirmary, where the girl is supposed to have died, but there are definitely no suicide cases, and there haven't been for three months.
Sheila and Eric refuse to believe this, and cannot pretend nothing has happened, like the others can. Mrs Birling believes the situation is funny, and that:
"In the morning they'll be as amused as we are."
When the phone rings, and there is the same information as 'Inspector Goole' gave out about a girl dying on her way to the infirmary, and also that a police inspector is on his way round to question them, they all feel guilty, and the play ends.
Sheila and Eric are more impressionable because they are from a younger generation, and are not 'set in their ways', like everyone else. This causes them to believe that they have done wrong, and to accept their share of the blame, as well as trying to convince the others that they are partly to blame as well. They also have no prejudice against the lower classes, and so can feel sympathy and remorse for what they have done, whereas Gerald and Mr and Mrs Birling cannot, because the girl is not from their class.
