Sheila is arguably the most interesting character within the play as she evolves into a completely different person by the time the curtains close. When the audience is first introduced to her, she is exactly as described in the stage directions: “very pleased with life and rather excited.” Her engagement to the charismatic, wealthy, and handsome Gerald is the epitomeof what every young upper class woman was encouraged to desire in the Edwardian period: with no ability to undertake a profession, or have any freedom to make decisions about her life, choosing to marry Gerald and gain more social standing is exactly what Sheila would have been told would make her happy. Sheila is shown to have materialistic tendencies from the outset, firstly through her admiration of her engagement ring, and subsequently in the trip to Millward’s which proves devastating for Eva Smith. Priestley presents her as vain and self-indulgent, playing into the stereotype of a young upper-class woman of the Edwardian era.
