Almost the first thing Mr. Birling says to the Inspector is said to make an impression. He says, “I was an alderman for years – and Lord Mayor two years ago – and I’m still on the Bench – so I know the Brumley police officers pretty well…” His tone of voice is boastful as if emphasising to the Inspector how important he is. His first intention is to make a good impression, rather than finding out why the Inspector has called. When he does ask why the Inspector has called, he becomes slightly impatient when the Inspector doesn’t fully answer his question. He clearly feels he is more important than the Inspector. He then says, “Look – there’s nothing mysterious – or scandalous – about this business – at least not so far as I’m concerned.” This sentence doesn’t flow which emphasises Mr. Birling’s impatience. It also highlights Mr. Birling’s selfishness and attitude towards other because he is only thinking of himself. He is immediately dismissing responsibility and his irritation is only to cover up his worry and embarrassment. Sheila’s reaction to the Inspector is almost opposite to that of her father’s reaction. Sheila is not worried about making an impression and almost immediately asks, “”What’s this all about?” When she hears about Eva Smith’s fate, she reacts to it unlike her father who said, “Yes, yes. Horrid business”, which yet again emphasises his impatience by the lack of reaction. Sheila asks the Inspector about Eva Smith which indicates her positive attitude towards other people, in contrast with her father’s attitude towards others. Sheila shows that she can take control of a situation when she cuts in with “Why should you? He’s finished with you. He says it’s one of us now.” The use of the short sentences shows that Sheila is not afraid to speak up for herself. Sheila shows that she can relate to Eva Smith and understands the situation she faced. She shows her attitude towards society when she says, “But these girls aren’t cheap labour – they’re people.” Sheila represents the new generation and society who were more understanding when it came to social issues and working conditions; issues that Mr. Birling doesn’t understand.
The reader can see that Sheila gets stronger throughout the play and this can be seen when she gives Gerald back his ring. At the beginning of the play, she said little and was very playful but as the play progressed, the readers gets the impression that she took control and gained strength to speak up against her parents. By giving the ring back to Gerald, Sheila is refusing what society expects of her and by doing this she is representing the new generation and society. She says to Mr. Birling, “Don’t interfere, please, Father. Gerald knows exactly what I mean, and you apparently don’t.” Her tone of voice could be seen as quite rude but she is just ________ (standing up for herself.) Mr. Birling, in contrast, seems to get weaker as the play progresses. At the beginning, he is in control and makes long speeches about how good life is but when the Inspector comes and it seems as if there may be a scandal, he gets angry to cover his worry and embarrassment. Even though he tries to make everything better by convincing himself that there will be no scandal because the Inspector wasn’t real, at the end, the stage directions describe him as in “a panic-stricken fashion” and he says, “A girl has just died – on her way to the Infirmary – after swallowing some disinfectant. And a police inspector is on his way here – to ask some – questions – “ The use of hyphens emphasises Mr. Birling’s panic-stricken state and his worry. This contrasts with his confidence at the beginning of the play.
When the Inspector leaves, Mr. Birling immediately blames Eric for the death of Eva Smith but not for Eric’s sake. He says, “”You! You don’t seem to care about anything…I was almost certain for a knighthood in the next Honours List – “ Mr. Birling only cares about what other people will think rather than what has happened to Eva Smith or his family. Mr. Birling immediately blames Eric because he doesn’t want to be guilty or accept his responsibility. However, in contrast, Sheila accepts that she had a part to play in the death of Eva Smith. She says, “I behaved badly too. I know I did. I’m ashamed of it.” The short sentences shows that she knows she is guilty and the audience can accept that she has admitted it because she said it plainly unlike Mr. Birling who refuses to admit his guilt. Sheila tries to get Mr. and Mrs. Birling to admit their guilt because she and Eric understand that their actions had consequences to real people, even if it may not have been the same person. They understood their responsibility to other people unlike Mr and Mrs. Birling.
Mr. Birling and Shelia both react differently throughout the play and through this, you can see their attitudes to social issues. Mr. Birling denies that he knows Eva Smith and will not accept responsibility for her death even though it was him who started it. When the Inspector leaves and they find out he isn’t an Inspector, Mr. Birling pretends everything is back to normal and nothings wrong whereas Sheila is still affected by what has happened even though it may not be true. She doesn’t understand how her father can go back to normal. Mr. Birling emphasises the differences between the older and younger generations and refuses to accept social change. Sheila gets stronger throughout the play and she symbolises the new generation and society. Sheila accepts change and knows what they did was wrong. She understands that if it had happened, there would have been consequences. The message that J.B Priestly is putting across is that people have a responsibility towards others. The Inspector says, “We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other…if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.” The party at the beginning represents society but underneath the happiness, society is rotten.
