Sheila Birling:
- She is described at the start as a 'pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited'.
1 - Even though she seems very playful at the opening, we know that she has had suspicions about Gerald when she mentions "last summer, when you never came near me." However even though she mentions this, she seems to have no desire and want to actually find out about what happened in the summer.
2 - Immediately shows compassion to Eva Smith and other workers, "But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people". Already shows she is starting to change and develop.
1 - She is horrified by her own part in Eva's story. She feels full of guilt for her jealous actions and blames herself as "really responsible."
- She is very perceptive, this is shown as she realises immediately that Gerald knows Eva Smith just from his reactions, she is also the first to realise that Eric is the father of the baby. She also realises that the inspector is giving them just little pieces of information and then getting them to admit and tell him the rest, we know this when she says 'he's giving us the rope- so that we'll hang ourselves'.
- She is also very curious, we know this as she genuinely wants to know about Gerald's part in the story and about his affair with Eva Smith.
- She matures through the play, this is shown by how she often admits that she is in the wrong and owns up for what she has done. It also shown by how she doesn't seem to get that angry with Gerald for his affair with Eva Smith, but says that she respects his honesty.
- She is able to stick up for herself, this is shown when she gets angry and argues bacfk to her parents 'pretend that nothing much has happened.' and 'It frightens me the way you talk'. She is seeing her parents in a new light, which she seems to be disappointed about.
- At the end of the play, Sheila is much wiser. She now views her parents and Gerald from a new perspective. She now