Inspector Calls - Characters

Mr Arthur Birling - Overview

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• Mr Birling is the leader of the Birling Family.
• He kick-started the series of events the led to Eva Smith's death, when he fired her for wanting a rise..
• He represents part of the older generation- he refuses to accept how he fitted into Eva Smith's death. As far as he's concerned, it's what anybody would have done.
• When Eric confesses to stealing the money to support Eva, Mr Birling is more concerned about the social repercussions of that being discovered. He doesn't care about the fact that a girl has died.
• He is very focused on work, as shown at the start when he gives his speech.
• After the Inspector leaves, and Gerald proves that he wasn't a real inspector, any change that Mr Birling went through is immediately reverse.

Mr Arthur Birling - Quotes

• "A man has to make his own" - Mr Birling agrees with capitalist views, which is later juxtaposed by the Inspector's socialist views.
• "There'll be a public scandal" - Mr Birling is shown to be very focused on his public image.
• "Well, don't tell me that's because I discharged her from my employment nearly two years ago" - Mr Birling doesn't believe that he is in any way connected to the death of Eva Smith
• "Well, I only did what any employer might have done" - He believes he was well justified doing as he did.
• "I don't want any of that talk from you" - He's an important member of the family. He's in charge.
• "Now look at the pair of them- the famous younger generation who know it all. And they can't even take a joke" - He believes that Sheila's and Eric's response is uncalled for and stupid, given he believes it's just a joke.
• "By Jingo! A fake!" - Mr Birling is very quick to believe that the Inspector may be fake.
• "We were having a nice little family celebration tonight. And a nasty mess you've made of it now, haven't you?" - This shows us that Mr Birling believes that he should be superior to the Inspector, and the Inspector should be answering to him, instead of the other way around.

Mrs Sybil Birling - Overview

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• As with the rest of the Birlings, Mrs Birling affected Eva Smith's death. She refused to give a pregnant Eva aid, which ultimately resulted in her death.
• She is part of the older generation, and, like Mr Birling, she doesn't change, and drops any changes she makes when it's revealed the Inspector wasn't real.
• She works for the charity, but she's clearly not a charitable person, as she refuses Eva Smith, and uses her influence to ensure she doesn't get any money.
• She's very out of touch with her children. She doesn't know about Eric's alcoholism.
• She's prejudiced against people of the lower class.

Mrs Sybil Birling - Quotes

• "Girls of this class" - Mrs Birling is prejudiced against the lower classes, having a stereotypical view about who they are.
• "You seem to be conducting it in a rather peculiar and offensive manner." - She believes that she has control over the Inspector.
• "One of the things that prejudiced me against her case." - She admits to being prejudiced against Eva's case, but she doesn't care.
• "And if you'd take some steps to find this young man and then make sure that he's compelled to confess in public" - She believes she knows best, even when she doesn't have all the facts.
• "Besides, you're not the type, you don't get drunk." - She's out of touch with Eric.
• "Really, the things you girls pick up these days" - She's slightly out of touch with Sheila as well.

Sheila Birling - Overview

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• Sheila comes into the story of Eva Smith after she had her fired from Milwards for laughing at her wearing a dress.
• Sheila, along with Eric, makes up the younger generation, and changes as a result of the Inspector's visit.
• At the start of the story, she is engaged to Gerald Croft, but as the events of the play come to light, she breaks off the engagement.
• She has better moral standards than the rest of her family, feeling empathy towards Eva Smith when she hears the news, and feeling bad about what she did to her.

Sheila Birling - Quotes

• "He's giving us the rope, so that we'll hang ourselves." - Sheila realises the way the Inspector works, and tries to warn Mrs Birling before she says anything she'll regret.
• "These girls aren't just cheap labour- they're people!" - Sheila has a much better morality than some of the older members of her family, especially Mr Birling.
• "I'll never, never do it again to anybody" - Sheila is repentant, and wants to make sure she doesn't repeat herself.
• "Be careful that you don't ask for more, Gerald." - Once Sheila discovers Gerald's affair with Eva Smith, she changes in the way she interacts with him.
• "I don't believe I will. So you be careful" - This shows Sheila to be strong-minded.
• "I only told her tonight because I knew everything was coming out-" - Sheila was happy to keep Eric's secret, but now she realises it'll have to come out to light eventually, so she tells Mrs Birling.
• "Because mother's been busy blaming everything on the young man who got this girl into trouble" - After she warns Mrs Birling against saying anything stupid, and Mrs Birling does, Sheila fills Eric in, and as she does proves the she knew better than Mrs Birling in this instance.

Eric Birling

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• Eric was responsible for getting Eva Smith pregnant, and there's a suggestion that he forced himself upon her.
• Priestly drops hints that Eric isn't alright, such as him "suddenly guffaw"-ing at the start.
• He's an alcoholic, much to the suprise of Mrs Birling.
• He also stole money from Mr Birling's office.
• It could be argued that what Eric did is the most severe, as he stole money.

Eric Birling - Quotes

• "You're not the kind of father a chap can go to when he's in trouble" - This shows that his relationship with his father isn't perfect.
• "I didn't even remember- That's the hellish thing"- He's irresponsible.
• "I was in that state where a chap easily turns nasty" - He's an alcoholic.
• "You killed her then- and the child she'd have had too- my child!" - Eric blames Mrs Birling as well as himself.