The Role of Sheila in An Inspector Calls Essay Example

Priestley uses the character of Sheila in An Inspector Calls to represent the younger generation, who could challenge the Capitalist society that they grew up in. Sheila is influenced to change, to help society be a better place through following some of Preistley’s socialist ideals, such as equality between the classes and genders. 

At the beginning of the play Sheila is portrayed as young and naive. The opening stage directions inform us that Sheila is in her ‘early twenties’. This implies that she is an independent adult, but we soon hear Sheila call her parents ‘Mummy and Daddy’. Throughout the opening scene she is presented as a child, with no real desires or wishes of her own. These are words that young children use, not young adults. As we also know throughout the opening part the play she gets told off alot for arguing with her brother from Mrs Birling  

The stage directions also state that Sheila is ‘very pleased with life and rather excited’. This implicits that she is very unaware about the outside world as if you are in your early twenties and still very pleased with life. The phrase ‘very pleased with life’ is a phrase that reflects her luxurious and spoiled lifestyle. And also the word ‘excited’ suggests that she is looking forward to life and this can give off an ignorant side of her.   

Mr Birling is a self absorbed man and always manages to get out of any situation, as of his irresponsible use of money, to try and get out of the situation no matter how big of a situation it is. Mr birling shows massively the difference between the older and younger generation and differ social change. He is disrespectful towards his daughter and when he does one of his monologues he then says ‘Are you listening Sheila’, and then makes horrible comments about how she should respect it and doesn't make many speeches about her. He thinks that he is such a high class man meaning he can’t have any respect for others. He has such a respected social hierarchy that he thinks he doesn’t have to care about his children and especially Sheila.

The relationship between Sheila and Mr Birling is complicated. It symbolises the difference between the two views. Preistleys aim throughout the whole play was to put over this view on capitalism and try to spread the socialist society. As we know Mr Birling is a businessman and runs his own business and he is deeply invested into his business and doesn’t dicide to have respect for anything but his business and status. 

Later on from the Insepctors arrival he starts to point fingers at each member of the birling household, but Sheila gets all worried. She then figures out that she is partly to blame for Daisys/Evas death and we can then see how she changed from being selfish to a lady of regret and ashaiment. Sheila starts to bet get all anxious and disturbed. Sheila then discovers that she could be partly to blame for the death of Eva Smith as of her actions of greed and selfishness.  Sheila is a keen speaker to the inspector and finds out about Eva and what she was like. She was asking questions about her appearance and what she was like. Her father on the other hand wasn’t too overjoyed about rhe idea that she was staying with the inspector but when Mr Birling asked Sheila to leave because he thought that she was too childish for her to overthear the conversation. The inspector on the other hand held Sheila back to ask her a few more questions and Birling started to get agitated. She wants to know all this information because she never gets told anything.    

Throughout the time when Sheila was spilling everything that she did to Eva she explained ‘I know. I had her turned out of her job. I started it’. This evoykes that she is taking on all the blame herself and that she is taking full responsibility. Sheila also says ‘i’m trying to tell the truth’ this shows us that she is trying to be honest as the situation is very stressful for someone who knows nothing abou the outside world. Another quote that shows her distression over the situation is ‘how could i know what happens afterwards’. Sheila is trying to make it like it isn’t so much her fault and is feeling guilty.        

Being a lady like Sheila, she is expected to have a planned out lifestyle and have a good marriage, kids, and big, tidy house. You will have to be presentable and always listen to your Father. The unfortunate thing about being part of this class is that you are very isolated from the outside world. Sheila as we know from the text is very secluded from what is happening in her life, especially from her Father who just wants Shiela to marry Gerald even though he has an affair with Eva over the summer. I would not like to be a lady in Sheilas generation.