Shiela

1. She only really feels engaged after Gerald has given her a ring
   1. She needs the expensive symbol
2. Despite agreeing to the engagement Shiela clearly has some suspicions about why she hadn't seen much of Gerald.
   1. "Last summer, when you never came near me, and I wondered what had happened to you"
   2. Builds up tension and foreshadows their conflict as we learn he was cheating.
   3. Suggests she is superficial because she ignores her feeling and suspicions about Gerald, because she would rather have the ring and rise higher into the upper class.

1. She calls her mother "mummy" and uses world like "squiffy" and "jolly-well"
   1. This childish vocabulary reflects her childish behaviour.
2. Getting into small silly arguments with her brother
3. Might be due to the way her parents treat her like a child
   1. Her father trying to protect her from hearing about Eva's suicide.
      1. "The way in which my daughter, a young unmarried girl, is being dragged into this."
         1. "young unmarried girl"
            1. Seen as the most vulnerable and need protecting by Mr Birling and by upper class Victorian men
            2. However Eva was in the exact position and Mr Birling didn't protect her, instead was the first step leading to her suicide.
   2. Her mother scolding her when she refuses to go to bed: "Please don't contradict me like that"

Annotations:

• Despite her naivety, Sheila is also very perceptive. Even though Gerald constantly reassures her that he “was awfully busy at the works”, she is still suspicious about where he was “all last summer when (he) never came near” her and the stage directions describe how she spoke in a “half playful, half serious tone”. She is particularly perceptive about the Inspector’s role and the “chain of events” that led to Eva’s suicide. Soon after she finds out about the suicide, the stage directions describe that Sheila says “wonderingly” to the Inspector: “you talk as if we were responsible”. She realises that Gerald knew Daisy Renton from his “startled” reaction the moment the Inspector mentioned her name and is the first to realise Eric’s part in Eva’s suicide at the end of Act 2: when her mother is talking about how the father is to blame, Sheila says “mother- stop – stop!” and speaks “with sudden alarm” showing she has realised that the father of this baby is her own brother. She makes several comments about how much the Inspector knows, for example after Gerald says “we can keep it from him” (about his part in Eva’s suicide) , Sheila says “why- you fool- he knows… and I hate to think how much he knows that we don’t know yet” and warns the others: “He’s giving us the rope- so that we’ll hang ourselves.” She realises that each member of the family has playing a part in Eva’s suicide, saying “probably between us we killed her”. When her mother replies: “Sheila, don’t talk nonsense”, she says “You wait, Mother”. Near the end, Sheila is the first to consider the authenticity of the Inspector, saying “it’s very queer… it doesn’t matter much now, of course- but was he really a police inspector?” In this way, Sheila is used as a dramatic device to reveal information about the Inspector. Her perceptiveness leads to increased dramatic tension and foreshadowing in the play.

1. Gerald constantly reassures her that he "was awfully busy at the works", she is still suspicious about where he was "last summer when (he) never came near"
   1. Stage directions describe how she spoke in a "half playful, half serious tone"
      1. doubt
   2. She realises that Gerlald knew Daisy Renton from his "startled" reaction the moment the Inspector mentioned her name.
2. She realises that everyone helped kill her, saying "probably between us we killed her"
   1. The first to admit responsibility
   2. The brutal and harsh verb "killed" suggests that Shiela acknowledges the true horrors in what she has done, whereas there rest of her family who are in denial
3. The first to realise Eric's part in Eva's death at the end of Act 2
   1. "Mother - stop - stop!" and speaks with "sudden alarm" showing she realised that the father of the baby is Eric.
      1. "!" reflects how she is certain. She believes in her perceptions and is willing to stand up to her mother about it
   2. She also makes comments about how much the Inspector knows, saying "we can't keep it from him"
4. Inspector's role and the "chain of events" that led to Eva's suicide.
   1. Soon after she learns about Eva's suicide the stage directions describe that she says "wonderingly" to the Inspector, "you talk sd if we were responsible".
      1. "wonderingly"
         1. Showing she has questions that she is trying to answer herself
   2. The first to consider the authenticity of the Inspector, saying "it's very queer ... it doesn't matter much now, of course - but was he really a police Inspector"
      1. Used as a dramatic device to reveal information about the Inspector
5. Her perceptiveness leads to increased dramatic tension and foreshadowing in the play

1. Through her response to Eva's suicude
   1. "Oh how horrible! Was it an accident?"
   2. Stage directions - "rather distressed" and "as if she's been crying" to show her compassion and sympathy
      1. Immediately accepts responsibility, saying "So i'm really responsible" and is remorseful and horrified about her part.
      2. Contrast to her parents who deny responsibility.
         1. She has more conscience
         2. She feels guilty and believes she won't do it again.
   3. Although in her life she's probably not considered the conditions of the working class, she shows her compassion immediately after she hears of her father's treatment of Eva Smith.
      1. "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people"
      2. She is already beginning to change from her selfish ways

1. At times she acts as an assistant to the Inspector.
   1. Supporting his criticisms of other characters
   2. Becoming his mouthpiece when he left the stage
   3. She becomes like the Inspector by asking questions and contradicting her mother
2. She becomes quite didactic
   1. hard to sympathise with her
      1. Her change happened too quickly so it seems quite unrealistic.