AIC Act 2

• • Character: Sheila
  • Theme: Gender, Hypocrisy
  • Analysis: Sheila’s sarcastic tone reveals her growing awareness of Gerald’s hypocrisy. She challenges his role in Eva’s life, suggesting his need to feel powerful and admired. Priestley uses this to critique the double standards of gender roles and class privilege.


  "You were the wonderful Fairy Prince. You must have adored it, Gerald."
• • Character: Inspector Goole
  • Theme: Responsibility, Social Duty
  • Analysis: The Inspector reminds Birling that public figures have an obligation to act responsibly. This criticism of Birling’s privileged, selfish viewpoint emphasizes Priestley’s message that true power comes with social accountability.


  "Public men, Mr. Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges."
• • Character: Inspector Goole
  • Theme: Social Responsibility, Class
  • Analysis: The Inspector highlights that Eva required emotional support, not just financial aid. This reinforces the play’s central message that society needs compassion and empathy, and criticizes the Birlings for their lack of humanity toward the working class.


  "She needed not only money but advice, sympathy, friendliness."
• • Character: Inspector Goole
  • Theme: Gender, Hypocrisy
  • Analysis: The Inspector challenges Gerald’s paternalistic view that women should be shielded from harsh truths. Priestley uses this to expose the double standards that the upper class holds toward women, especially when they’re from lower classes.


  "You think young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things?"
• • Character: Inspector Goole
  • Theme: Age, Responsibility
  • Analysis: The Inspector observes that the younger generation is more open to change. This line underscores Priestley’s hope for social change led by youth, contrasting the older Birlings’ rigidity and lack of accountability.


  "We often do on the young ones. They’re more impressionable."
• • Character: Sheila
  • Theme: Responsibility, Independence
  • Analysis: By returning the engagement ring to Gerald, Sheila symbolically rejects the superficiality of their relationship. This act demonstrates her growth and newfound independence, showing her readiness to take responsibility for her actions and choices.


  "I think you’d better take this with you. [She hands him the ring.]"
• • Character: Sybil Birling
  • Theme: Gender, Class Privilege
  • Analysis: Sybil’s justification of Gerald’s infidelity reflects her tolerance for immoral behavior among the upper class. Her willingness to excuse Gerald’s actions highlights her acceptance of gender double standards and the protection of social privilege.


  "I’m not defending him. But you must understand that a lot of young men—"
• • Character: Sybil Birling
  • Theme: Class Prejudice
  • Analysis: Mrs. Birling’s disdain for the working class is evident in her dismissive phrase. Her inability to see Eva as an individual underscores Priestley’s critique of the upper class’s prejudice and lack of empathy


  "Girls of that class..."
• • Character: Inspector Goole
  • Theme: Responsibility, Social Duty
  • Analysis: The Inspector’s words highlight the cruelty of Sybil’s refusal to help Eva. This indictment of Mrs. Birling emphasizes the failure of the privileged to use their power to aid those in need, central to Priestley’s message about social responsibility.


  "She came to you for help, at a time when no woman could have needed it more."
• • Character: Sybil Birling
  • Theme: Hypocrisy, Justice
  • Analysis: Sybil’s call for harsh punishment for the man who got Eva pregnant is ironic, as she is unaware it is her own son. Her strict moral judgment highlights her hypocrisy, as she later changes her stance when she learns of Eric’s involvement.


  "He ought to be dealt with very severely—make sure that he’s compelled to confess in public."
• • Character: Sybil Birling
  • Theme: Denial, Class
  • Analysis: Mrs. Birling’s refusal to accept responsibility for Eva’s death shows her deep denial and moral blindness. Priestley uses this to illustrate the selfishness and lack of accountability within the upper class.


  "I did nothing I’m ashamed of."
• • Character: Sybil Birling
  • Theme: Class Prejudice
  • Analysis: Mrs. Birling’s belief that the working class should not have “fine feelings” highlights her dehumanizing view of Eva. This reflects the social prejudice Priestley criticizes, suggesting that the upper class viewed the poor as undeserving of basic human emotions.


  "She was claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl in her position."
• • Character: Inspector Goole
  • Theme: Guilt, Responsibility
  • Analysis: The Inspector warns that Eva’s death will have lasting emotional consequences. This foreshadows the regret that Sheila and Eric feel, highlighting Priestley’s idea that guilt is an important step toward social awareness and change.


  "You’re going to spend the rest of your life regretting it."
• • Character: Sybil Birling
  • Theme: Hypocrisy, Family
  • Analysis: Mrs. Birling’s condemnation of Eva’s lover, without knowing it is Eric, exposes her hypocrisy. Priestley uses this moment to highlight the selective morality of the upper class and their tendency to judge without knowing the full story.


  "I blame the young man who was the father of the child she was going to have."
• • Character: Sybil Birling
  • Theme: Hypocrisy, Responsibility
  • Analysis: Mrs. Birling’s readiness to blame Eva’s lover further showcases her hypocrisy. Her moral double standard becomes evident when she later tries to protect Eric, underscoring the blindness of the privileged

  "If the girl’s death is due to anybody, then it’s due to him."