Compare and contrast the reaction of Arthur Birling and Sheila Birling to

interrogation by the Inspector

Introducti

on

• Introduce the novel

• Talk about/ describe the characters of Arthur and Sheila Birling

Main

Body

•Describe the reactions of Arthur and Sheila Birling to the inspector’s interrogation at different instances

Conclusion

•Compare the reactions

•Perhaps describe how the interrogation of the Inspector has changed them

Arthur Birling• Wealthy business man• Involved in local

politics• Pompous• Self-important• Unsophisticated• Bully

Sheila Birling• Young• Pretty• Lively• Selfish• Later sympathetic,

repentant and caring

• Birling’s relaxed and pompous manner becomes aggressive as he finds himself having to defend his actions

Page 12, Birling (rather impatiently) “Yes, yes. Horrid

business. But I don’t understand why you should

come here, Inspector -”

Page 13, Birling (somewhat impatiently) “Look – there’s

nothing mysterious – or scandalous – about this

business – at least not so far as I’m concerned... obviously it has nothing whatever to do

with the wretched girl’s suicide.”

Page 14, Birling “Still, I can’t accept any responsibility. If we

were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very

awkward, wouldn’t it.”

• Birling has no sense of loyalty towards his workers. Birling admits that Eva Smith had good qualities, she was lively and a good worker, but he disliked her willingness to voice her opinions.

Page 14, Birling “Now – about this girl, Eva Smith. ... She was a lively good-looking

girl ... A good worker too.”

Page 15, Birling “Well, it’s my duty to keep labour costs down”

Page 15, Birling “If you don’t come down sharply on some of

these people, they’d soon be asking for the

earth”

• Birling tries to use his social status to intimidate the inspector

Page 16, Birling “How do you get on with

our Chief Constable/ Perhaps I ought to

warn you that he’s an old friend of mine...”

• The Inspector begins to draw others into the tragedy of Eva Smith’s life and death. He attracts the sympathy of Sheila and of the audience by his clear and hard-hitting description of the girl’s misery.

Page 17, Sheila “Oh- how horrible!”

Page 17, Sheila (rather distressed)

Sorry! It’s just that I can’t help thinking

about this girl – destroying herself so

horribly”

Page 19, Sheila “But these girls aren’t

cheap labour – they’re people.”

Page 20, Sheila’s stage directions: (Staring at him,

agitated)

• Birling is more concerned that his daughter has been upset than by any feelings of guilt or shame for what they might have done to Eva Smith. He does not yet realise the depth of the family’s involvement and still feels able to be angry and outspoken towards the Inspector.

Page 21, Birling (angrily) “Why the devil do you

want to go upsetting the child like that?”

Page21, Birling (staring at the Inspector angrily) “We were having a nice little celebration tonight,

and a nasty mess you’ve made of it now”

• Sheila’s regret seems genuine. Although the inspector will not accept belated regrets as an excuse, Sheila has learnt a lesson and she is determined never to act so unfairly again.

Page 23, Sheila “... I felt rotten about it

at the time and now I feel a lot worse.”

Page 23, Sheila (miserably) “So I’m really responsible”

Page 24, Sheila “... I’ll never, never do it again to anybody”

• Birling cannot see that his actions towards the girl were wrong

• He feels sacking the girl is the right attitude for a man of business

• He wants to protect Sheila from the unpleasantness of the girl’s life and death, yet feels no guilt for not having protected the girl herself

• After the inspector has gone, he simply wants things to return to normal

Priestly shows us someone so blindly wrong and never as really in control of event as he would like to think he is.

Based on Birling’s reactions, the audience notes him to be a foolish, ill-tempered character. We feel that if the events were repeated he would act just the same

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”

• When Sheila comes to understand her responsibility, she is genuinely sorry

• Sheila grows stronger and more sympathetic as the play goes on

• By the end of Act 1, Sheila is very much aware of the influence of the inspector

• She understands what the Inspector is doing and begins to look at the world through his values rather than those of her families

Priestly shows us the spreading influence of socialism on the younger more ‘impressionable’ generation who begin to condemn the prevalent ‘every man for himself’ attitude.

The audience understands that the Inspector’s interrogation has had a big influence on Sheila and we begin to see how Sheila bears much scope for change, unlike her father who remains somewhat unmoved by the whole ordeal

Initial Reaction Long term impact

Birling Defensive, aggressive, not willing to accept responsibility. Believes that he made the right decision, and continues to defend this – no loyalty towards workers and was unmoved by the inspector’s interrogation.

None. When the episode is declared to be a hoax, he acts as if nothing has happened. Instantly prepared to return to his old ways.

Sheila Shocked, accepts responsibility, remorseful, guilty.

Remains moved by the interrogation of the inspector and by the account of Eva Smith. Seems to have matured as person