Mr Birling uses his high social status to try to discourage the inspector from asking him any further questions about Eva Smith, “ How do you get along with our Chief Constable, Colonel Roberts? Perhaps I should warn you he is an old friend of mine.” Mr Birling knows people in high places, but the inspector does not have any of his nonsense.
At the beginning of the play Mrs Birling’s character is rather like her husbands. She thinks that her family is so important and respected in Brumley that they couldn’t possibly be involved in a murder case. This doesn’t change through the play and in Act 2 JB Priestly portrays her to be rather hypercritical. She finds out that the reason this girl seeked the help of her committee was because a young man got her pregnant before she died so she insists that, “he should be made and example of.” And should’ve been forced to marry her, only to excuse herself from being part of the inspectors inquiry. The inspector knows who the young man is and makes sure he understands what Mrs Birling has to say, “ So he is completely to blame?” Her opinions change when she finds out that the young man responsible for the girl’s pregnancy is her own son, Eric, and takes back every thing that she has said, “ but I didn’t know it was you. “ She does not accept responsibility for refusing Eva Smith/Daisy Renton the help she needed and ending her ordeal, “ I wasn’t satisfied with this girls claim, I didn’t like her manner.” Her words mean that she tells the truth in saying she was not satisfied with her claim but really she did not approve of her behaviour and the mess she had gotten herself into.
Eric knows that he got her pregnant but didn’t wish to get himself into any more trouble, “you haven’t made this any easier for me have you mother…”
Straight from the beginning of the play it is obvious that Sheila’s upbringing was very high in social status, “ Go on Mummy” The language JB Priestly uses for the way Sheila says the word mummy shows that she is a mummy’s girl and would never dream of letting her, or the reputation of the Birling family down so Sheila’s attitude has changed because she now cares about her actions and realises there are other things in life to think about besides herself and family. She has changed most throughout the inspectors visit as she takes in what has happened and accepts responsibility for playing a part in this girls suicide, “yes, and it was I who had the girl turned out of Milwards. “ Sheila was in a way spoilt, not just as a child but as she got older as well. She used the fact that her father was a highly thought of businessman in the Brumley community to have this girl turned out of the only job she could find for no good reason, “ and so you used the power you had to punish this girl because you were jealous.” Sheila speaks to the inspector and to her family admitting that she knows what she did was wrong. The inspector finishes questioning Sheila so asks her to leave but she refuses and stays to listen to the further questioning of her family. This shows that maybe deep down she knows that what she has done is more serious than she first thought. Mrs Birling assures her that it is nothing but, “morbid curiosity.”
Throughout the inspectors visit Sheila tells every member of her family that what they had done between them was terrible yet she is still the only one that takes responsibility for it, “ Mother you must have known” She tries to make them see that not one but all of them helped to end this girls life.
After the inspector leaves the Birling family are relieved but are left with a feeling of guilt that from now on they should think before they act!
JB Priestly uses the inspector’s character as his mouthpiece, to put his thoughts and ideas into the play. He does not blame any one of the characters individually but blames them all, “ all intertwined with our lives, with what we think say and do we are not alone, and we are all responsible for each other. “ The inspector explains that whatever we believe other people are; we shouldn’t judge them or be prejudice against them with out getting to know them. Whatever we say and do leaves an impression, and you never know how deep it will go.
