The In Sheila had to confess to her mother that Eric is an alcoholic and he that he’s truly responsible for Eva’s death. As soon as Mr. Birling realised that Eric was the father, the revelation came, ” I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it … ” Here it shows that Sheila spoken wisely for herself and for the sake of it, let her mother notice that her son isn’t what she expected him to be like. So Eric feels shocked and worried as soon as he finds out that they knew he was the father when they all stare at him at the end of the Act Two and Eric says,” You know, don’t you?
In this part, everyone is staring at Eric as if it was The Inspector planning that incident. Therefore the presence of The Inspector makes everyone feel disappointed and bitter when reacting towards Eric. J. B. Priestly chose to end the scene like that because it creates suspense and tension e. g. curtain falls. Dramatic irony is also a part of the play because the family and the Inspector guessed Eric was also responsible whereas Eric never knew that they realised it already.
This makes the audience feel shocked, amused and curious. Furthermore, Priestly uses euphemism to grab the reader’s attention and keeps them interested in experiencing the excitement of the situation that is taking place. Therefore the differences between the ways the characters react are that Mr and Mrs Birling don’t really care about the suicidal incident because they only contemplate their business a lot and are two very inconsiderate individuals who feel that they have no responsibility whatsoever for Eva’s death.
Nevertheless Sheila and Eric feel anxious, frustrated and disappointed because they know their particularly responsible and can feel the guilt within them. However, Gerald is the only one who has given bounteousness towards Eva Smith because he cares about and was affectionate towards Daisy Renton. Gerald did the best he could to support and help the miserable Daisy by providing her money and accommodation but wasn’t enough to hold the relationship. Unfortunately he left her in isolation and now he feels sorry for Daisy, although he gets hold of Sheila’s respect.
Priestley used some important themes for the play such as responsibility and classes (upper and lower, richer and poorer). One of the themes principally included is the class of society (upper and working class) where Mr and Mrs Birling fit in becoming an upper class society while the youngsters Sheila and Eric belong in the working class section. This is also relevant to historical events because poverty during that period was a major inconvenience as affluent people denied assistance to poor people however political parties stated to supply welfare.
Priestley illustrates that ” no matter how rich or poor you may be, you are no different from each other and that you should help each other to make this community a better place. ” At the end of the play, the family discovered that Inspector Goole was a counterfeiter. As soon as the Inspector left the house when his interrogation came to a conclusion, the phone rang and a voice answered that a girl has committed suicide in a tragic way.
This was clear to them that the Inspector was some find of spiritual life form that maybe went back to the future nevertheless the majority of the readers believe it might have been the mouthpiece of Priestley. In conclusion, the contrast between Sheila’s and the family’s reaction towards The Inspector is that in the beginning of the play, Sheila was deeply affected and anxious while the others handled their thoughts and response with ease and tolerance. As the story progressed, they all felt dishonour and guilt because of how The Inspector responded and used the technique to make them all confess.
