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How Is Sheila Presented In An Inspector Calls

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Priestley wrote his polemical morality play ‘An Inspector Calls’ in 1946 shortly after the end of WW2. As a socialist Priestley was concerned that the rigid class system of Edwardian Britain would continue to limit and restrict women’s rights. tends for the play to assist people in their understanding of social responsibility. The didactic play takes place in Brumley, a microcosm of Edwardian Britain, and centres on the actions of the wealthy middle-class Birlings and Mr Croft and how their actions impact a working-class girl called Eva Smith. Throughout the play the audience see the transformation of Sheila’s character through which Priestley explores his underlying message of social responsibility.
Throughout the play Priestley presents …show more content…

Surprised by her father’s callous attitude to Eva Smith Sheila reminds her father that “these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people ,” highlighting her awareness of the responsibility her family holds in society, reflecting Priestley’s socialist views. Priestley also presents the Inspector as hims elf (a socialist) and shows that Sheila is learning and maturing when she recognizes that “he’s giving us rope- so that we’ll hang ourselves.” The gruesome metaphor reflects Sheila’s understanding of her responsibility in society and what she did was wrong. This and her deliberate use of the metaphor ‘hang’ shows that it is dangerous not to understand your role in improving society. Sheila continues to show her socially responsible manner when she tells her parents that “You mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl,” with the wall symbolizing capitalism. The metaphor of the wall evokes the idea that the older Birling’s view themselves as superior to Eva Smith and it is that exact attitude which Sheila is trying to break down. Sheila seems frustrated by the fact that her parents’ callous attitude doesn’t seem to soften. At the end of the play, after the Inspector has left Sheila tells her parents that “the point is you don’t seem to have learnt anything,” Sheila is being very critical of her parents as she understands the capitalist Edwardian hierarchical structure she was brought up under is not healthy for people while a socialist model is. Sheila seems to embrace this role and burst out at her parents by saying, “You’re pretending everything’s just as it was before!” with the exclamation clearly showing how Sheila’s position with her parents has

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Sheila even reveals to the inspector that ‘If she'd been some miserable plain little creature, I don't suppose I'd have done it’, which perfectly summarises how Sheila’s selfishness towards others and how she cares more about people’s appearances than their actual worth as human beings. Next, Gerald Croft is shown to be selfish towards Eva Smith as he met her at a bar and began a romantic relationship with her, but he was not serious about her and eventually ends the relationship,

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The admission, ‘I caught sight of the girl smiling at Miss Francis’, highlights her insecurity and lack of confidence. However, we feel sorry for her as, in the early 20th century, young women were judged on their looks, which perhaps explains why she felt envious and this is considered as sinful. During Sheila’s interrogation, she remembers “[Eva] was a very pretty girl […] that didn’t make it any better.” and admits, “I went to the manager and told him this girl had been very impertinent – and – and - ”. The hesitation shows shame and regret and while looking back at her actions, she does not have enough words to

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‘Sheila is the character who changes the most over the course of the play’ Discuss This morality play is written by J.B. Priestley and takes place in the dining room of the Birlings’ house in Brumley, an Industrial City in the North Midlands. The Birlings’ family are celebrating a special occasion. Sheila’s overall mood at this time is carefree. Sheila is engaged to Gerald Croft and she is pleased and excited at the prospect of her marriage.

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In the play An Inspector Calls written by J.B Priestley, the use of morality and double standards gives us an insight into the society of the early 1900s; which remains relevant in social stratification, cultural and deviance aspects. Through the story of Arthur Birling, Mrs. Sybil Birling and their children Eric and Sheila. The upper-class family, with untouchable reputation, enjoy of an intimate party soiree in honour of Sheila's engagement to Gerald Croft. Son of a well-known business man, Sir George Croft from Crofts Limited. When Inspector Goole pays a mood-changing visit, resulting in the systematic manipulation of the presumably respectable characters.

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In An Inspector Calls the character Sheila changes and matures significantly throughout the play. Priestly aims to encourage and persuade the 1912 audience to consider the negative power of capitalists and that socialism is a better way forward. Sheila contributes to Priestly’s moral message about socialism and capitalism by emphasising the possibility for change which is up to the younger generation. At the start of the play, Sheila is portrayed as a spoiled daughter who has been taught to be submissive to her parents.

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She provides an age and morals contrast with her mother as they often clash a lot. Mrs Birling refuses repeatedly to take any responsibility in Eva Smith's death, which Sheila clearly shows much sympathy and sorry for, she immediately owns up to it when saying, “So am really responsible?”. We first see this transformation where Sheila says “But these girls aren't cheap labour they're people” on page 19, where she expresses her sympathy for the strikers, which Mr Birling adds that he couldn't care less and only cares about the business and costs of the issue rather than the humane perspective of issues. Sheila and Eva resemble each other, this is one of the reasons Sheila empathises with Eva the most because she would be in her shoes if it was not for Sheila's status or wealth. Preistley uses Sheila as a divide as she is open minded to the socialists ideas.

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