“At least you’ve been honest.” and
“We’re not the same people that we were half an hour ago.”
This proves that the couple now has more respect for one another after their revelations. However, Mr. Birling seems concerned about the engagement, not because he cares for his daughter though, he is concerned because he wants to move up the social ladder, and the only way he can is by a relative marrying a person in a higher social position than themselves. At this time, if two rich families’ children married, both families would gain wealth and respect, and this is the only reason that Mr. Birling cares about his daughter and her marriage. In reaction to the canceling of the marriage, Mr. Birling says:
“Now, Sheila. You must understand that a lot of young men-“
This shows that he is arrogant and self-centered because he only cares about himself and his position in society. He then speaks to his daughter about her choices, but Sheila cuts her father off and stands up to her father, defending her decision to not marry Gerald. Sheila tells him not to interfere, proving that even in this short time, she has matured. The cutting off of her father also displays her new-found maturity as she now has the courage to stand up to her father, unlike at the beginning of the novel where she was bullied by her father. This part of the play is a key moment where JB Priestley puts across his view of the older and also younger generations of that time. Priestley is stressing that the older generation are stubborn and will never change their ways, whilst the younger people in society will learn from their mistakes and then rectify themselves.
The Inspector now moves on to Mrs. Birling and immediately shows her the picture of Eva Smith who came to her committee for help. However, this picture that has been shown to Mrs.Birling and the others may not have been the same pictures! he Inspector moves onto Mrs. Birling swiftly after she asks to see a picture of the dead girl, this is ironic as Mrs. Birling has now got herself into deep trouble with Inspector Goole. Mrs. Birling, being the defiant woman that she is denies the fact that she had ever seen the girl, let alone spoke to her and turned her away without offering her help. Mrs. Birling also shrugs off all other accusations that she was harsh to Eva Smith and turned her down. When the Inspector continually asks Mrs. Birling questions that would shock her family and reveal what sort of person she actually is, she can only say:
“Well, really, I don’t know.”
Proving that she is annoyed at Inspector Goole’s questions and that she is now agitated that she cannot answer the difficult questions. The way in which theses two characters converse also display how tension is being built because the Inspector and Mrs. Birling use short, snappy sentences displaying the fact both characters are on edge, especially Mrs. Birling who is nervous about the Inspectors questions.
The Inspector continually harasses Mrs. Birling until he gets her to reveal that she did turn Eva Smith away and that she was harsh and cold in her manner towards her. After this revelation, Mrs. Birling claims that the questioning is now over, but Gerald, who knows that more questions will follow, tells Mrs. Birling:
“I don’t think so, excuse me…”
and then he leaves the house eventually. Gerald’s knowledge displays the fact that the younger generation is now standing up to their elders. This knowledge also builds up tension as the reader/audience now knows that more questioning will follow and that more shocking facts into the girl’s death will be revealed. This makes the play much more dramatic because it is certain that more shocking events are close. Mrs. Birling eventually confesses that she turned Eva Smith away because she thought that her excuses that she was pregnant and living off stolen money were false.
The Inspector gets Mrs.Birling to confess that she knew Eva Smith by telling her dates as to when she saw her. When Sheila sounds astonished, her mother can do nothing but admit.
Mrs. Birling then also tells Inspector Goole that Eva Smith was using the name Mrs. Birling, so she also turned her away because she did not want a person of a lower class to have her name. The play becomes more dramatic at this point, because the reader realizes that one of the members of the Birling family would have been associated with Eva Smith. However, the only person who does not realize this is Sybil, who tells the inspector how the boy who made Eva pregnant show be dealt with.
Also, at this time, Sheila continually tells her mother to be quiet and to stop, but the arrogant Mrs. Birling does not listen. At this point, the audience, in their heads, will be screaming that Eric is the culprit because Mrs. Birling is the only person who does not realize this. Things become more dramatic by the minute because Sybil Birling does not realize that it is her son, Eric, who had been dating Eva Smith and giving her stolen money from his father and also because every other family member has realized. It is also ironic because Sybil Birling is telling the Inspector how to deal with the culprit, not realizing that the culprit is her own son.
The Act ends with Eric entering looking distressed, as well as Sheila who is distraught at her mother for telling Inspector Goole about how the “boy” should be dealt with and about how he is the chief culprit in the investigation. In this part of the play, the Climatic Curtain has been reached and the novel is at a climax, proving that the end as act two is the most dramatic part of the play. The ignorance of Mrs. Birling towards her daughter, like Mr. Birling earlier proves how the older generation is arrogant and ignores problems, making the play much more dramatic. This ignorance is also what JB Priestley wanted to erase and would like the lower class to be treated like equals. This is because Priestley had a Utopian sense of view, as explained earlier.