Mrs Birling is also like her husband in the play. She is very demanding to her children to get them out of the same room because she doesn’t want them to listen to what the Inspector says. Also she tries to make out that the inspector is lying about the suicide. She is intent on judging people before they had spoken. She turned Eva away because Eva unfortunately called herself Mrs Birling. The Real Mrs Birling thought she was copying her name and that Eva was doing that to annoy her.
This was the last thing that Eva had done before she had killed herself. “I’m sorry she should have to come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame for it at all” I added that quote because I think it tells us that even when it is proven that Mrs Birling is one of the people responsible for Eva’s death, she still won’t acknowledge it . Eric Birling is an impressionable youth. He shows a huge amount of concern and care when the Inspector questions him about his connections. Also he becomes sorry about taking i?? 50 from his fathers company.
Because of his role in the matter, Eric starts to take responsibility for his actions but feels angry at his mum for ‘helping’ Eva and her baby (which was also his) commit suicide. He is criticised by Mr Birling for being too gullible and impressionable. “Oh-my-God! – how stupid is it all. ” I added this quote because it shows that Eric didn’t want to be involved in anything like that. Sheila Birling also changes her attitude when the Inspector interrogates her. She almost instantly regrets getting Eva sacked when she thought that Eva was laughing at her.
Mr and Mrs Birling also criticises Sheila as being impressionable. But both she and Eric keep questioning their parents when the Inspector goes. “I want to get out this, it frightens me the way you talk” This quote also shows that Sheila doesn’t want to be involved in anything like that Inspector Goole is not an easy man to try and persuade. He continues to ask the Birling’s questions even when they ‘threatened’ him with statements like ‘I was Lord Mayor of Brumley (Mr Birling). ‘ He asks each member of the Birling family in turn about their dealings with Eva before she had killed herself.
Also he shows some of the family members a photo and asks them if they recognise the ‘woman’ in the photo. Many people who have seen or read the play have many different ideas of whom or what Inspector Goole was. Some believe that he was a ghost because he knew the death of Eva before it had even happened and also his name sounds like ghoul. Also there is a small fishing resort called Goole so some think that he was fishing for information. There are some people who think he is the ghost of Eva’s baby and he has come back to question them about his mum’s death.
