Another thing, and in my opinion hugely influenced by Mrs. Birling, is Sheila’s treatment of Eva Smith at Milwards. Simply out of jealousy, and the fact that she could do it, Sheila tells the manager that “this girl had been very impertinent”, and threatens to never come back and close her account with the store if the girl is not fired. This is a very nasty thing to do, and even though her mother is there, she does nothing to try and convince Sheila otherwise, showing she does not disapprove of Sheila’s behaviour. However, Sheila is very distressed about it all, and she shows something that Mr. and Mrs. Birling do not show throughout the play – remorse. She admits that she was wrong (something which her parents cannot bring themselves to do), and feels very guilty for it. She even says that, “if I could help her now I would”. This is an action definitely not affected by her upbringing by Mr. and Mrs. Birling, but by her own social conscious, something that her parents lack. Her social conscious is shown even more when she states that, “but these girls aren’t cheap labour – their people”. This again shows her breaking off from her parents and becoming an independent person of her own.
Sheila also shows characteristics unlike her parents further on in the play – she shows love, or at least a kindness, to her family, something that her parents do not show. Even as her mother is treating her as if she was a child, Sheila still tries to warn her of how the Inspector will twist what she is saying later on. Of course Mrs. Birling ignores her, but Sheila perseveres even if it is a lost cause. Sheila also shows signs of deduction and intelligence when she guesses early on that the Inspector knows everything about what is going on, and that between them they all killed Eva Smith. She also realises that Gerald had been having an affair with ‘Daisy Renton’ but she does not act shocked like her mother – she takes it all in a stride with a calm dignity that her parents fail to maintain. In my opinion, this is a result of having Mr. and Mrs. Birling as her parents, because she learns not to act like them, something which she might have struggled to do, if she did not have them as her parents.
Eric however struggles to be dignified throughout the play. Described by J.B. Priestly, as ‘half shy, half assertive’ it is easy to see that he is uneasy throughout. This is probably a direct correlation from being son of Mr. and Mrs Birling – they treat him like a child at times, and at others they expect him to act like an adult. This has left him confused as to how to act among other people, and is probably the cause of his drinking problem. His parents’ treating him like a child, has also led him to being irresponsible and rather childish. He even says that Eva Smith, “treated me as if I was a kid. Though I was nearly as old as she was” showing that in the eyes of others he is immature. Also, as a reaction to his father’s desperateness for respect and titles, Eric simply does not care about public opinion. Eric even says to his father that, “what does it matter now whether they give you a knighthood or not?” Eric has, unlike his parents, learned his lesson and like Sheila is remorseful about his part in Eva Smith’s death. He also shows he does have some integrity by saying that he will pay back all the money he stole from the office. He also has the courage to admit he is wrong, and accept the consequences, which shows he is emotionally maturing, which is something he had never done before.
In conclusion, I do think that Sheila and Eric’s actions are the results of having Mr. and Mrs. Birling as parents. At the beginning of the play, they both act immature and childish, because their parents only treat them as children. Then as the play moves on, we see them act and think differently, something which is also because of having Mr. and Mrs. Birling as parents. The Inspector simply acts as a catalyst, but they become the opposite of their parents – socially conscious, mature people who can admit that they are wrong.
