Sheila Birling

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Sheila Birling is a central character in J.B. Priestley’s play "An Inspector Calls," portrayed as a young upper-middle-class woman whose growing moral awareness and guilt highlight the play’s critique of social responsibility.

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Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character
theatrical character
ageGroup young adult
appearsIn An Inspector Calls NERFINISHED
associatedEvent sacking of Eva Smith from Milwards
characterDevelopment expresses guilt for her actions
grows in moral awareness
rejects her parents’ complacency
confrontedBy Inspector Goole NERFINISHED
contrastsWith Arthur Birling NERFINISHED
Sybil Birling NERFINISHED
countryOfCitizenship United Kingdom
creator J. B. Priestley NERFINISHED
dramaticFunction embodies younger generation’s capacity for change
highlights hypocrisy of Edwardian upper classes
engagementStatusAtStart recently engaged to Gerald Croft
familyName Birling NERFINISHED
feelsGuiltFor having Eva Smith dismissed from her job
fiancé Gerald Croft NERFINISHED
fictionalUniverse An Inspector Calls NERFINISHED
firstPerformanceYear 1945
gender female
givenName Sheila NERFINISHED
languageOfWork English
literaryPeriod 20th-century British drama
medium stage play
moralPositionByEnd accepts inspector’s message
narrativeRole central character
moral conscience figure
occupation young upper-middle-class woman
parent Arthur Birling NERFINISHED
Sybil Birling NERFINISHED
realization accepts responsibility for her part in Eva Smith’s death
relative Arthur Birling NERFINISHED
Eric Birling NERFINISHED
Sybil Birling NERFINISHED
settingPlace Brumley NERFINISHED
settingTime Edwardian era NERFINISHED
sibling Eric Birling NERFINISHED
similarTo Eric Birling in accepting blame
socialClass upper-middle class
symbolizes hope for social reform
moral awakening
themeInvolvement class inequality
gender roles
social responsibility

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Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.