Priestley initially introduces Sheila Birling as ‘a pretty girl’ although she’s in her early twenties. These early descriptions suggest immaturity; the fact that she is in her early twenties yet is still referred to as a girl. At the beginning of the book, she is presented as shallow and naïve. This allows for the audience to make premature judgements. However, this naivety and immaturity isn’t apparent at the end of the play. Sheila matures over the course of the play and her change is much more dramatic than other characters in the play. As the play is set in 1912, it could be argued that Priestley uses these changes to suggest the forthcoming changes after the war: before WWII, everyone was rather ignorant but the catastrophes of the war acted as an eye-opener for the general public; just as the Inspector’s visit was an eye-opener to the Birlings. At the beginning of the play Sheila’s joy and cheerfulness seems slightly excessive. This is a subtle hint to the audience that there’s an oncoming turnaround. Sheila is very materialistic (“…who has put on ring admiringly”) and very superficial (“Pretty?”). Similarly to a child, she enjoys attention and is definitely enjoying the attention that comes with the engagement. Another very childlike attribute Sheila possesses is her lack of seriousness; she seems to take everything as a joke (“with mock aggressiveness” “half serious, half playful”). Sheila doesn’t just act like a child, but is also treated like one (“Now Sheila…”, “…upsetting the child like that”). Her parents are very patronising towards her. However, it could be argued that the fact that Sheila acts like a child is a consequence for her being treated like one. This explains why upon the entrance of the Inspector, she begins to act her age because he is the only one who doesn’t treat her like a child. In Act Two we see, perhaps for