Which character in ‘An Inspector Calls’ learns the most and why?
In the play, Sheila and Eric learn the most from the Inspector. “I’ll never, never do it again to anybody.” When the inspector reveals to Sheila that she played a part in Eva Smith’s suicide, she feels guilty and shows that she regrets her actions. This is also shown at the end of the play when she says “You begun to learn something. And now you’ve stopped.” By saying this, Priestley shows the reader that Sheila is disgusted that no one has learnt anything, and he also shows that she feels the most guilt and remorse for her actions. This is ironic because the younger generation in the play are the ones who learn the most, and the ones who understand the Inspector. Furthermore, throughout the play Sheila is treated as foolish and hysterical by her parents and her fiancé, because she is a young woman. However she is the only one who truly understands the Inspectors purpose. Priestley does this to show the audience that she is the character who has learnt the most because the other characters are too arrogant to understand the Inspector’s purpose, or to realise that she is learning from her mistake, and is not hysterical. This could have been done to suggest that the future was bright, because it was the new generation who had morals, and learnt from their mistakes.
