Sheila Birling

Question 1

How does Priestley present the character of Sheila Birling?

Answer

From one level the audience will initially react positively to her because she is young and attractive: ‘A pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited’.
However, looks can be deceiving as in Act One she is presented as quite boring and unlikable; a stereotypical ‘rich daddy’s girl’ who is soon going to be a ‘kept woman’.
She is very intelligent and intuitive; she knows Eric drinks a lot and knows Gerald is lying about his whereabouts last summer when he ‘never came near’ her.
Of all the characters, it is Sheila who develops more as the play progresses.
Eric’s observation that she has ‘a nasty temper sometimes’ leads her to demand the dismissal of Eva Smith from the clothes shop.
She gains some sympathy from the audience when she acknowledges her role in Eva Smith’s downfall and admits she was jealous of her looks.
Although she feels the Inspector may not be all he claims to be, she acknowledges her responsibility and does not try to get away with what she has done, unlike her parents.
Her reaction to the photograph is instinctive; she does not deny knowing Eva Smith and her instinctive reaction of running from the room betrays her guilt.
Her reaction is indicative of her horror and subsequent guilt at what she has done.
During the second act, her guilt and acknowledgement of the family’s collective responsibility is reflected in her support for the Inspector (‘He’ll get it out of you. He always does’).

Question 2

What has Sheila learned by the end of the play?

Answer

She has acquired more self-knowledge and developed a conscience.
She has acknowledged her guilt and sense of social responsibility and compassion.
She has been most affected and changed by the evening’s events.

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