An Inspector Calls Characters: Full List & Analysis

Who drives the story

Main characters

Arthur Birling

A pompous manufacturer, former Lord Mayor, and prospective knight who believes every man must look after himself. He sacks Eva for asking a fair wage and learns nothing by the end.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Toast and the Bell; Part 4: Fire and Blood—and the Telephone
Themes:: Guilt and Denial

Sybil Birling

Arthur's cold, socially superior wife and charity committee member. She refuses help to a pregnant girl for using her name—then unknowingly condemns her own son.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Toast and the Bell; Part 3: Mrs Birling's Verdict
Themes:: Responsibility to Others; Class and Power; Guilt and Denial

Sheila Birling

The spoiled, excitable daughter who has Eva sacked over a smile. She undergoes the play's sharpest moral awakening and refuses to pretend nothing happened.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Toast and the Bell; Part 2: Sheila's Jealousy, Gerald's Secret; Part 4: Fire and Blood—and the Telephone
Themes:: Responsibility to Others; Class and Power; Guilt and Denial

Eric Birling

The uneasy son and heavy drinker who forced himself on Daisy Renton and stole fifty pounds for her. He owns his guilt even when his parents won't.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Toast and the Bell; Part 3: Mrs Birling's Verdict; Part 4: Fire and Blood—and the Telephone
Themes:: Guilt and Denial

Gerald Croft

Sheila's charming fiancé, son of a business rival, who kept Daisy Renton as his mistress. He shows some remorse but sides with the hoax theory.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Toast and the Bell; Part 2: Sheila's Jealousy, Gerald's Secret; Part 4: Fire and Blood—and the Telephone
Themes:: Guilt and Denial; Time and the Supernatural

Inspector Goole

The mysterious, methodical figure who forces confessions from each character. Whether fraud, ghost, or conscience, he exists to make them face what they did.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Toast and the Bell; Part 2: Sheila's Jealousy, Gerald's Secret; Part 3: Mrs Birling's Verdict; Part 4: Fire and Blood—and the Telephone
Themes:: Responsibility to Others; Guilt and Denial; Time and the Supernatural

Eva Smith / Daisy Renton

The working-class woman whose suicide drives the play—sacked twice, kept and discarded, refused charity, made pregnant. Never seen on stage, told entirely through others' confessions.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Toast and the Bell; Part 2: Sheila's Jealousy, Gerald's Secret; Part 3: Mrs Birling's Verdict
Themes:: Class and Power; Dramatic Irony and Hindsight

How they are connected

Key relationships

Arthur Birling Eva Smith / Daisy Renton
He sacks Eva for asking a fair wage and learns nothing by the end.
Sybil Birling Arthur Birling
Arthur's cold, socially superior wife and charity committee member.
Sheila Birling Eva Smith / Daisy Renton
The spoiled, excitable daughter who has Eva sacked over a smile.
Eric Birling Eva Smith / Daisy Renton
The uneasy son and heavy drinker who forced himself on Daisy Renton and stole fifty pounds for her.
Gerald Croft Sheila Birling
Sheila's charming fiancé, son of a business rival, who kept Daisy Renton as his mistress.
Gerald Croft Eva Smith / Daisy Renton
Sheila's charming fiancé, son of a business rival, who kept Daisy Renton as his mistress.

Go deeper

An Inspector Calls themes & symbols

Responsibility to Others · Class and Power · Dramatic Irony and Hindsight · Guilt and Denial

Themes explained

Read the full An Inspector Calls summary

The full story act by act, the ending explained and a quick quiz.

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