...In what ways are the characters of Sheila and Eric important in the play? The characters of Sheila and Eric are important in the play as; Priestley introduces them to be coming from a trouble-free, spoiled and wealthy family background where there are no problems, although later we find out that this is not the case. Firstly, they are important since, they represent the younger generation who are open to change and equality. They are open to new ideas as well as, improvements. The evidence for this is found in act1 when, Eric and Sheila express their sympathy for the strikers which, Birling completely disagrees with being, a business man, who can only think of money and doesn’t care about others emotions and worries. Plus, their attitudes changed throughout the play making them more interesting. The relationships Sheila and Eric had with their parents are entirely changed by the Inspector. Sheila becomes rebellious towards her parents (she didn’t take the ring back from Gerald). Along with, the relationship between brother and sister which seems the strongest of all, especially when all other family unity seems to have broken, at first they seemed to argue and hate each other; however, they do have a lot in common as they both care about others of lower classes. Sheila and Eric have nothing to fear from the visit of the 'real' inspector because they have already admitted what they have done wrong, and will change. Sheila and Eric see the human side of Eva's story and are...
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...Significance of younger characters – Eric, Sheila and Gerald The younger characters represent hope for the future and optimism at the start of the play. They have happiness, marriage and business success set before them. Ultimately, Priestley uses them to show that redemption from guilt is by no means inevitable. Sheila is presented as the stereotypical young woman who lives an idyllic life. Perhaps in that sense her name is an ironic counterpart to Eva. Eva suggests the biblical figure of Eve, representing all women. The ‘She’ of Sheila is supposed to indicate Sheila and Eva are both inextricably linked and bound together – one of the principal lessons of the play. Her diction reflects her initial happiness at the start of the play; she speak in a light, joking voice about “these purple-faced old men” who know all about port, and in “mock aggressiveness” to Gerald as the whether he might “object” to joining her family. Her life is mostly full of laughter and happiness. Priestley steeps Sheila’s initial words and manner in irony. Her playful “aggressiveness” towards Gerald is replaced by real aggression when she discovers his affair with Eva, Then she speaks “stormily,” suggesting raging and deep emotions. The joking about drunken old men anticipates the sexual assaults of “Alderman Meggarty” on Eva with his “obscene fat carcass.” The repulsion with which he is described reflects the immorality of his actions, and picturing his body as a “carcass” suggests that beneath...
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...caused in the Birling family was very disturbing even after a couple of years in 1914. When the war started everything gradually started to become worse as the country was suffering and many people were injured including children and infants. Sheila wanted to achieve something in life; she wanted to become a nurse as she knew she would be more deserving and would be able to help others who were injured. She knew that Eric was going away to fight for the country at the trenches and he had decided to join the war as he wanted to go away from home and thought that no one cared about his decisions he makes in life. He told Sheila “I want to do this not only for myself, but for all my family as they would be proud of me when I get back.” Sheila replied “Oh Eric that is very sweet but you would have to think about it very carefully and what the consequences will be.” “I will Sheila” answered Eric. “I will be very careful and make something out of myself, but whilst I’m away I want you to also become independent and earn your own money as it would be better for you.” Sheila said “Thank you Eric for being considerate. I will certainly but you just make sure that you tell Mother and Father before leaving as it would sound better coming from you” Eric told his parents about him leaving, they had took a shock to it and they weren’t very supportive towards his decision but they had thought that if he goes he will only be responsible for himself and he may become more independent. Gerald moved...
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...father of Sheila and Eric. Priestley describes him as a "heavy-looking man" in his mid-fifties, with easy manners but "rather provincial in his speech." He is the owner of Birling and Company, some sort of factory business which employs several girls to work on (presumably sewing) machines. He is a Magistrate and, two years ago, was Lord Mayor of Brumley. He thus is a man of some standing in the town. He describes himself as a "hard-headed practical man of business," and he is firmly capitalist, even right-wing, in his political views. Gerald Croft Engaged to be married to Sheila. His parents, Sir George and Lady Croft, are above the Birlings socially, and it seems his mother disapproves of his engagement to Sheila. He is, Priestley says, "an attractive chap about thirty ... very much the easy well-bred young-man-about-town." He works for his father's company, Crofts Limited, which seems to be both bigger and older than Birling and Company. Sheila Birling Engaged to be married to Gerald. Daughter of Arthur Birling and Sybil Birling, and sister of Eric. Priestley describes her as "a pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited," which is precisely how she comes across in the first act of the play. In the second and third acts, however, following the realization of the part she has played in Eva Smith's life, she matures and comes to realize the importance of the Inspector's message. Sybil Birling Married to Arthur. Mother of Sheila and Eric. Priestley...
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...The scene is the same as the end of act 2.Eric pours himself a drink and begins to explain his story about the girl he meet the previous November in the Palace bar, while he was “a bit squiffy,” and started talking to her. He went back to her place that night. Eric forced he to let him in, Eric also forced Eva into having sex. he’s saw the girl a number of times after, and one of the times, she told him she was pregnant. The girl didn’t want to marry him because he didn’t love her. He gave her fifty pounds which he stole from Mr Birlings office, to support her. Eric’s relationship with Eva Smith was very demanding a they used each other and they also didn’t treat each other it respect. When Mr Birling asks where the fifty pounds came from, Eric denied that he took it from his MR Birlings office. When his father asks him why he didn’t just ask him for help, Eric replies that he’s not the “kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble.” The Inspector leadingly asks Eric if the girl found out that his money had been stolen, and Eric says that she had and that she refused to see him afterward, but then he asks how the Inspector had known that. Eric turns to his mother to blame her for the girl’s suicide and begins to threaten her. The Inspector states that he does not need to know any more, and reminds the family that each member is responsible for the death of Eva Smith. He tells them to never forget it. Mr. Birling offers the Inspector a bribe of thousands of pounds,...
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...The characters of Sheila and Eric are important in the play as; Priestley introduces them to be coming from a trouble-free, spoiled and wealthy family background where there are no problems, although later we find out that this is not the case. Firstly, they are important since, they represent the younger generation who are open to change and equality. They are open to new ideas as well as, improvements. The evidence for this is found in act1 when, Eric and Sheila express their sympathy for the strikers which, Birling completely disagrees with being, a business man, who can only think of money and doesn’t care about others emotions and worries. Plus, their attitudes changed throughout the play making them more interesting. The relationships Sheila and Eric had with their parents are entirely changed by the Inspector. Sheila becomes rebellious towards her parents (she didn’t take the ring back from Gerald). Along with, the relationship between brother and sister which seems the strongest of all, especially when all other family unity seems to have broken, at first they seemed to argue and hate each other; however, they do have a lot in common as they both care about others of lower classes. Sheila and Eric have nothing to fear from the visit of the 'real' inspector because they have already admitted what they have done wrong, and will change. Sheila and Eric see the human side of Eva's story and are very troubled by their part in it; they examine their conscience. This change...
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...been left in complete shock because of the event that has just occured. In the stage directions it says that, "Sheila is still quietly crying." This builds up the drama more and proves to us that the situation has really affected her. We can see this throughout the extract. She dislikes her father's comments. The stage directions show us this and Priestley has written her comments towards her parents to be angry and frustrated. Sheila is trying to make her parents see that what they did to the girl was wrong. She says, "I behaved badly too. I know I did. But now you're beginning all over again to pretend that nothing much has happened." It is evident here that she has been greatly affected by the girl's death and is irratated by what her father has said to her. Priestley has written in the stage directions that Sheila is "flaring up". Her anger is quickly building up and she is frustrated because of her parents' ignorance. At the beginning of the extract Priestley says that Eric is "brooding desperately", showing that he is distressed and finding the situation difficult and maybe thinking deeply about what has just happened. In the stage directions Eric "laughs rather hysterically, pointing at him". By insulting Birling, Eric is sure to provoke him and make him angrier. Throughout the conflict between Eric and Birling, Eric is insulting him, building up the drama even more, creating more anger and tension. He makes comments such as,...
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...I am reading “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” by W. D. Wetherell and I am on page 6. This book is about a boy and his passion for both fishing and the beautiful Sheila Mant. He struggles between having a pretty girl in his canoe and a massive bass on his rod. He eventually decides to focus on the girl, and in the end, regrets his decision to cut the bass free. In this paper, I will be questioning and connecting. Will the boy choose Sheila or the fish? This is by far the largest fish he has ever encountered, and although he finally managed to get Sheila to go out with him, she isn't interested. Sheila is very pretty. She’s right there in front of him, with a great tan, long legs, and beautiful white dress, thinking fishing is dumb. She comments on fishing, and how she doesn’t have a good reason for thinking the sport is dumb. She might be in his boat, but Sheila keeps talking about Eric Caswell, and topics that he doesn’t...
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...Gerald Croft Edit 0 26… At the beginning of the play Gerald appears to be a polite, respectable young gentleman. Mr Birling is aware that the Crofts are socially superior to the Birling's. Gerald agrees and shares’ Mr Birling's capitalistic views on making love, he also has a patronizing attitude towards Eric similar to Mr Birling “Not if it was just after the holidays They’d all be broke – if I know them”. Gerald wants to make a good impression of himself because of his recent engagement to Sheila. If we look at the theme of class, we can see that Gerald was prepared to marry Sheila, despite her lower social position, this shows Gerald as a non-stereotypical individual. Gerald seems to have a lot more self-confidence compared to Eric. We evidently see Gerald's enthusiasm; he wants to be amiable with the Birling's. "I insist upon being one of the family now." Mr Birling is very comfortable talking to Gerald. He describes Gerald as "just the kind of son-in-law I always wanted." He also opens up to Gerald about is knighthood "Just a knighthood, of course." but doesn't tell his own son about this. On the whole Gerald and Mr Birling get along, they both tease Eric. When the inspector arrives, Gerald seems to be defensive against the inspector, this is shown “Fortunately it isn’t left to you is it? “ Gerald is also quite manipulative when he tries to avoid certain situations “Where did you get the idea that I did know her?” Gerald also constantly backs up Mr Birling and agrees with...
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...Gerald, "it's exactly the same port your father gets."He is proud that he is likely to be knighted, as that would move him even higher in social circles. • He claims the party "is one of the happiest nights of my life." This is not only because Sheila will be happy, but because a merger with Crofts Limited will be good for his business. • He is optimistic for the future and confident that there will not be a war. As the audience knows there will be a war, we begin to doubt Mr Birling's judgement. (If he is wrong about the war, what else will he be wrong about?) • He is extremely selfish: o He wants to protect himself and his family. He believes that socialist ideas that stress the importance of the community are "nonsense" and that "a man has to make his own way." o He wants to protect Birling and Co. He cannot see that he did anything wrong when he fired Eva Smith - he was just looking after his business interests. o He wants to protect his reputation. As the Inspector's investigations continue, his selfishness gets the better of him: he is worried about how the press will view the story in Act II, and accuses Sheila of disloyalty at the start of Act III. He wants to hide the fact that Eric stole money: "I've got to cover this up as soon as I can." • At the end of the play, he knows he has lost the chance of his knighthood, his reputation in...
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...different now. Come, come, you can see that, can't you? (Imitating Inspector in his final speech.) You all helped to kill her. (pointing at Sheila and Eric, and laughing.) and I wish you could have seen the look on your faces when he said that. // Sheila moves towards door.// Going to bed, young woman? Sheila: (tensely) I want to get out of this. It frightens me the way you talk. Birling: (heartily) Nonsense! You'll have a good laugh over it yet. Look, you'd better ask Gerald for that ring you gave back to him, hadn't you? Then you'll feel better. Sheila: (passionately) You're pretending everything's just as it was before. Eric: I'm not! Sheila: No, but these others are. Birling: Well, isn't it? We've been had, that's all. Sheila: So nothing really happened. So there's nothing to be sorry for, nothing to learn. We can all go on behaving just as we did. Mrs Birling: Well, why shouldn't we? Sheila: I tell you – whoever that Inspector was, it was anything but a joke. You knew it then. You began to learn something. And now you've stopped. You're ready to go on in the same old way. Birling: (amused) And you're not, eh? Sheila: No, because I remember what he said, how he looked, and what he made me feel. Fire and blood and anguish. And it frightens me the way you talk, and I can't listen to any more of it. Eric: And I agree with Sheila. It frightens me too. Birling: Well, go to bed then, and don't stand there being hysterical. Mrs Birling: They're over-tired. In the morning...
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...Eric Birling What do you think is the importance of Eric and how does Priestley present him? How does he change throughout the play? At the start of the play we see Eric as a naïve alcoholic who seems to want to follow his father into his rich and successful business. We see Eric as immature and at the start of the play we see his anxiety, as if he knows that something will go wrong that night. As Eric and his family learn more about his shocking relationship with Eva, he seems to undergo a dramatic change in which he accepts responsibility for his vile treatment of Eva and breaks away from the capitalist limitations that his parents have set him. Towards the end of the play we see Eric agree with the inspector, who seems to be the righteous view of morality and also agree with Sheila who has undergone the most dramatic change and has accepted social responsibility forever. In order for us to recognise Eric’s change, his flaws first have to made abundant to the audience. Priestly obliges through the stage directions he set for Eric. He describes him as “not quite at ease” showing that he could be uncomfortable at the prospect of an evening with his mother and father or more likely that he is worried, that events with regards to Eva will be revealed. Priestly also describes Eric as “half shy, half assertive”. This seemingly duel personality, could highlight Eric’s drinking problems, which through drunkenness, has left him unsure of himself and without a set personality. From...
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...they do get married. Priestley also subtly notes that Gerald’s mother, Lady Croft, disapproves of Gerald’s marrying Sheila for precisely this reason. Finally, everyone’s treatment of Eva might be put down (either in part or altogether) to the fact that she is a girl, as Mrs Birling puts it, “of that class.” Priestley himself clearly was interested in the class system and how it determines the decisions that people make. This is further exemplified by the positioning of the family at the table in the main hall the stage directions say “the four Birling’s and Gerald are sat at the table, with Arthur Birling at one end , his wife at the other , Eric downstage ,and Sheila and Gerald upstage.” One of the many points this expresses is the distance between Mr Birling and his own wife. This could be because he is constantly thinking about both his business growth and Sheila marrying Gerald. A reason for Eric being positioned ‘downstage’ is so that Priestley can show how neglected Eric actually is within the family , as he is either near his father nor Mother. Also it is too show how minimum influence he has in the family even though he is at the start of Adulthood this is more proof of how the Birling Parents seem alarmed at the revelation of all Eric’s activities because they live with little emotion and most concerns are with business. Gerald is seated next to Sheila as Priestley wishes to show how Birling is doing as much as possible to merge the family’s and mostly because of business...
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...that society is interdependent and that we are each responsible for the welfare of all its members. He develops this theme through the experiences of the family of a wealthy, influential and ambitious industrialist, Arthur Birling. To understand the significance of the key scene and its relationship to the theme we must first set the scene in context. The stage directions at the beginning of the play describe the Birlings as ‘pleased with themselves’. At first sight they have good reason to be: Arthur Birling is expecting to be knighted in the next honours list and his daughter, Sheila, is engaged to be married to the son of another wealthy and titled industrialist. This appeals not only to Mr Birling’s social class aspirations, but also to his capitalist values of ‘lower costs and higher profits’ through a potential merger. The key scene occurs as Mr Birling is lecturing his son, Eric, and future son-in- law, Gerald on the nature of society: . . .a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own. His point of view is self- centred and entirely the opposite of the responsibility Priestley wishes his audience to adopt. As Mr Birling utters these words the Inspector of the title calls to show the Birlings that this attitude is both wrong and immoral. The mysterious Inspector investigates the consciences of each of the Birlings and Gerald to show them how their thoughtless actions affect others. He reveals their apparent involvement in...
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...lots of events that happened between those times that the audience would have known at the time. Most of these are mentioned by the deluded Mr Birling, who says facts that the audience know not to be true, but he says them in such a confident, superior manner that it makes the audience dislike him. He says things such as “just because the Kaiser makes a speech or two, or a few German officers have too much to drink and begin talking nonsense. The Germans don’t want war. Nobody wants war, except some half-civilised folk in the Balkans. And why? There’s too much at stake these days. Everything to lose, and nothing to gain by war”. Even when Eric, who is a lot more sensible than his father and sees things the way they are, and not like he wants them to be, interrupts and says “ Yes, I know- but still-” Mr Birling just says “ just let me finish, Eric. You’ve got a lot to learn yet. And I’m talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business.” This of course is relevant because the war did, in fact, happen and all the audience would have known...
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