Sheila’s whole outlook on life is very positive. Everything is perfect for her, and she has never suffered lack of money. She is somewhat spoiled and expects everything to go right for her.
Another example of contradiction is the change in language. Throughout the play Mrs.Birling language does not change at all she continually uses the words “rude” and “impertinent.” However Sheila's language changes from scurfy, to a more serious tone towards the end of the play which, echoes the Inspector's tone. For example she says, after the Inspector has left, “Mother hardened her heart.”
After the Inspector arrives and delivers the horrific news of Eva Smith's death both women react differently to it. When Sheila enters the room after the inspector has arrived, she doesn’t know he is there. She acts surprised to see him, and says“Oh- sorry. I didn’t know.” She asks what the Inspector is doing there, saying,
“What’s all this about?” She does not expect it to be anything either very unpleasant, or anything involving her. When her father says, “Nothing to do with you, Sheila. Run along.” it shows that he is trying to protect her from having anything to do with the situation. Again, it seems that Sheila is overprotected from unpleasant things like this, and always has been. Sheila's first reaction is “Oh how horrible!” and later she asks questions such as “What happened to her then?” This shows her distress and real concern for Eva. Later, she talks “warmly” about what she thinks about Eva's death which is a “rotten shame.” This shows that she is honest when she says this. Sheila also says, “These girls aren't cheap labour - they're people.” This shows that Sheila is broad-minded and can see the problems with society. All these reactions contrast Mrs. Birling's. When Mrs.Birling is questioned on her conduct in regard to not giving Eva Smith any charitable money, she is still unsympathetic towards her, saying “she only had herself to blame” and when she says “Girls of that class”, she stereotypes Eva Smith as being poor and therefore unhappy and that is the real reason for her committing suicide. Sheila can see the problems with society whereas her mother either doesn’t know or turns a blind eye to the problems.
Again, Sheila and Mrs.Birling respond differently when they find out that they have a connection with Eva's death. We can see that Sheila has become more mature in her attitudes. She has admitted her part in the death of Eva Smith. Sheila is clearly very sorry for what she did to Eva Smith, which is obvious when she says,
“I behaved badly too. I know I did. I’m ashamed of it.” She has learned, from the Inspector’s visit, to be less self-centred. She is more sensitive towards other people. She is taking responsibility for Eva Smith’s death and is upset at her parents because they are trying to pretend nothing ever happened. She is on the verge of breaking down and she does not make any excuses on her behalf. She tells the complete truth and even if she told lies no one could contradict her. On the other hand, Mrs. Birling is trying to avoid getting caught. She says “I shall be glad to answer any questions the Inspector wishes to ask me” and she is probably thinking that she can never get caught. However this changes when the Inspector questions her. She then says, “I don't think we need to discuss it.” I think this shows that she knows she is guilty and she does not want to make herself more at fault than she already is. She does not accept her responsibilities because she tries to alter the blame on to other people. Finally, she says “I accept no blame for it al all”, which indicates that she doesn’t feel any sympathy at all for Eva Smith.
Throughout the whole play I see no resemblance between Sheila and Mrs. Birling. During the Inspector’s visit, Sheila changed from a selfish, spoiled, excited, newly engaged girl, into a caring, responsible and open-minded person. Out of all the Birlings, and Gerald Croft, Sheila changes the most. She learns from the Inspector, and understands the purpose of his visit; to warn them of what will happen if they do not change their ways. She admits her wrong actions, regrets and learns from her mistakes and therefore she can become a better person in the future. On the contrary, her mother, who is supposed to be an adult does not admit her obvious and unashamed guilt and therefore learns nothing.
Savvas Proestos
