Act 2 Flashcards
Gerald’s confession
The beginning of this act is filled with tension. Sheila and Gerald argue before Mrs Birling enters and tries to shoo Sheila away.
We learn Eric is a drunkard. Mrs Birling is upset by this.
Gerald admits that he met Daisy at the Palace Bar - ‘a favourite haunt’ of prostitutes in Brumley. He says he rescued her from the unwanted advances of Joe Meggarty, a local council member. He says he gave her money for food, but goes on to admit that Daisy later became his mistress.
The engagement and Mrs Birling’s connection to Eva/Daisy
Sheila gives Gerald her ring back and ends the engagement.
But Mr Birling encourages Sheila to rethink. He is motivated by the benefits the marriage could bring him.
When Inspector Goole shows Mrs Birling a photograph of Eva/Daisy, she claims she does not know her. But Inspector Goole says Mrs Birling chaired a Brumley Women’s Charity meeting where Eva asked for financial help because she had no money and was pregnant.
Mrs Birling admits she rejected Eva/Daisy’s request because the girl was ‘impudent’ and had introduced herself as Mrs Birling.
Irony - Eric’s involvement
Mrs Birling refuses to accept responsibility for her actions and says the young man who got Eva pregnant should have taken full responsibility for her.
Sheila realises that the mysterious man is her brother, Eric. She begs her mother to stop trying to pile blame onto the man but her mother ignores her. She lists her recommended punishments for the man.
Mrs Birling finally starts to realise that the mystery man who got Eva pregnant is her own son.
Eric enters as the curtain falls.
‘You and I aren’t the same people who sat down to dinner here’ - sheila
Sheila shows a great deal of emotional maturity.
She breaks her engagement because she realises that she does not really know her fiancé.
Although she had said many sarcastic, harsh comments to Gerald during his interrogation (questioning), she does not hate him. But she feels that she cannot commit to spending her life with a man she does not know – she is not worried about losing a close business connection (unlike her father).
‘We really must stop these silly pretences’ - Sheila
Sheila quickly becomes the mature voice of reason (person who influences others to act sensibly) – she knows that the Inspector already knows how every member of the family was involved with Eva Smith. She tries to get her family to just play along and tell the truth. This could also link to the idea that these upper-class people cared so much about presenting perfect personas that they never presented their true selves to anyone. Priestley, through Sheila, tells these upper-class people that they need to care less about social appearances and more about the consequences of their actions.
‘I’m afraid you’ll say something…’ - sheila
At this point, Sheila understands the Inspector’s role in the story. She attempts to warn her mother about the Inspector knowing more than he seems to.
She knows that Inspector Goole is giving each character the rope to hang themselves with – he is letting them explore their own involvement and work out their own guilt.
‘Public men, Mr Birling, have their responsibilities as well as their privileges’. - Inspector Goole
Message
This is a message to wider British society in 1945. During his time fighting in World War One, Priestley saw soldiers being sent off to die for their country. Upper-class generals and leaders stayed in safe places. They didn’t fear for their own lives but sent their social inferiors (those of lower class) into battle. This made him feel very angry at the class system. In this quote, Goole wants to make it clear that although upper-class men are free to enjoy the benefits of their lifestyle, they must also be responsible members of society who care about the lower-class people who make the upper-class lifestyles possible.Although upper-class men are free to enjoy the benefits of their lifestyle, they must also be responsible members of society who care about the lower-class people.
Priestley’s Anger
During his time fighting in World War One, Priestley saw soldiers being sent off to die for their country. Upper-class generals and leaders stayed in safe places. They didn’t fear for their own lives but sent their social inferiors (those of a lower class) into battle. This made him feel very angry at the class system.
‘It’s you – and not the Inspector’ - Mrs Birling
This exclamation from Mrs Birling to Sheila shows a crack in their apparently-perfect family façade (fake image).
The family members have begun to separate. They verbally attack one another, suggesting that their perfect family is not so perfect after all.
‘You know, of course, that my husband was Lord Mayor only two years ago and that he’s still a magistrate?’ - Mrs Birling
This highlights the influence of the upper classes.
Most people would let the Birlings be treated differently and receive special treatment – both Mr and Mrs Birling find it unacceptable that Inspector Goole refuses to worship or fear them.
Priestley uses their attitudes to show the corruption (moral wrongness) in a society that lets the social classes be treated differently and, in some cases, not even be included in criminal investigations purely because of their social class.
‘Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility’ - Mrs Birling
As soon as Mrs Birling finds out that Eva was pregnant, she shifts all blame to the father of the child. -
As this man is described, dramatic irony (when the audience knows something the characters don’t) unfolds as the audience realise that this man is actually Eric, Mrs Birling’s son.
As Mrs Birling continues her speech, the audience waits for her to work out that she is actively criticising her own son.
As long as this man is anonymous (not named), she does not care what happens to him.
When she starts to realise it could be her son, she stutters and stops talking.
‘You seem to have made a great impression on this child’ - Mrs Birling
Mrs Birling is talking to Inspector Goole.
She shows that she doesn’t respect Sheila as a young adult – she still thinks of her as a child, and talks about her as if she is not in the room.
She also belittles (plays down) the effect the Inspector has had. She suggests that this ‘impression’ will be short-lived, and that Sheila will not be permanently affected by him.
‘She had only herself to blame’ - Mrs Birling
Mrs Birling says many times that Eva Smith was to blame for her own fate, and for the charity refusing to help her. She then goes on to blame the man who got Eva pregnant.
At no point in the whole play does Mrs Birling accept any responsibility for her own actions, or think that her actions may have negative consequences for others. She doesn’t understand that she should think about other people.
Mrs Birling only cares about her own family, how they look to other people, and keeping (or improving) their social standing
