Sheila Birling

Appearance and Personality

She is a sarcastic character. ‘But you’re forgetting I’m supposed to be engaged to the hero of it.’ Page 34 Sheila at this point, acts very childishly before she can hear Gerald’s full explanation. However, she is beginning to assert herself around Gerald, through her use of sarcasm. She initially lacked confident in their relationship, but she has now matured to be able to assert herself, and the authority she holds in their engagement.

Sheila is desperate to share the blame. ‘And I know I’m to blame- and I’m desperately sorry – but I can’t believe- I won’t believe- it’s simply my fault.’ Page 29 Sheila at this point, shows how desperate and willing she is to share the blame. Her guilt still overwhelms her, and she has been shown to take the responsibility for her actions, but it is still a heavy burden for her to bear by herself. Her dialogue is disjointed, and this shows her emotional involvement in the situation. It also shows her grief over what has happened, showing that she has developed an emotive response to the suicide.

Intuitive and persistent. ‘No, but you haven’t finished asking questions- have you?’ Page 27 Both Sheila and the inspector want to get the information out of the others. While Sheila is slightly nervous around the Inspector, from her pausing and dialogue, because she is scared what it will reveal, she feels that she needs to hear what has to be said. This shows her development as a character, and a strong change in her emotional maturity.

She cares for her family, but wishes them to change their stringent views on society. ‘(slowly, carefully now) You mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and this girl.’ Page 30 The dialogue here creates an image of a wall between the Birling’s and the poor; they are separated, and it is as if the Birlings can’t see or hear the lower class. Sheila is trying to tell her family not to quickly follow this path as usual, as they all had a part to play in the story. She wants them to take responsibility for their actions, so that the Inspector doesn’t act too harshly towards them.

Sheila is realistic. ‘He’s been steadily too much for the last two years.’ Page 32 The information reveals that the perfect family image that we are initially shown is incorrect, and that they lack any real connection; they have practically no knowledge or perception on what goes on behind each other’s family pretences. She also breaks down this barrier by revealing that she has been aware of the issue too. She is not the honest girl that her parents thought she was, but now she regrets these actions.

Links to key themes

Sheila links in cleanly with the theme of responsibility. ‘Probably between us, we killed her.’ Page 35 Sheila has adopted a manner, similar to that of the Inspector. She bluntly informs her family, to get her point across. Here, Sheila takes son the role of the Inspector as a moral judge. She admits something that none of the others could even recognise in their own son. She doesn’t want to avoid the truth any longer, and feels that, because the Inspector has visited, that it is time for the family to get their act together, and to recognise that their family unit is not as flawless as they think.

Sheila seems to have matured more than Gerald. ‘I rather respect you more.’ Page 40 Sheila here shows her respect to Herald’s honesty. While she doesn’t feel ready to take him back at that minute in time, she has come to terms with their relationship, and has finally been able to hear the truth, which she has been prying for since before the play began. This speech almost comes from a sense of relief from within Sheila, as she finally feels that she can confront Gerald about her true feelings. Also, at this point, when Sheila returns the engagement ring to Gerald, this is a symbol of her handing back her materialistic relationship with him. While she respects him, she can no longer accept their relationship as healthy, as it has been driving her crazy for months beforehand. This quote also shows her development in her maturity. She was previously too scared to hear about his escapades last summer, and only ever confronted their problems in front of her family. But now, she is confident enough to take control of the relationship that is hurting her.

By making Sheila mature, who was a spoilt and materialistic young girl, Priestly has shown that his message is suitable for all, and it is up to the attitude of the person, and their open-mindness. Her reaction, juxtaposed with her parent’s reaction to the Inspector’s message, creates a more empathetic view.

Sheila agrees with the Inspector’s message, and takes it on, to apply it to her own life. ‘No, because I remember what he said… Fire, blood and aguish.’ Page 71 She has here repated what the Inspector said before his final exit. By repeating his dialogue, Priestly is showing how she has become the Inspector’s mouthpiece in her family. This shows that is the message doesn’t penetrate through society, revolution and war will teach them their lesson. The Inspector’s final speech had a cautionary tone, and by repeating this, Sheila clearly shows her final views on the subject of moral duty before the play closes.

	Created by SophieHipson almost 11 years ago

English Literature Note on Untitled_2, created by SophieHipson on 04/22/2013.

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