AIC Character Notes Flashcards
Mr Birling Key Quotations
“I’m talking as a hard-headed practical man of business”
‘you’ll hear some people say war is Inevitable … fiddlesticks!’
‘The Titanic – she sails next week…and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.’
“I gather there’s a very good chance of a knighthood”
“A man has to make his own way – has to look after himself – and his family too, of course”
“(rather impatiently) Horrid business. But I don’t understand why you should come here.”
“you’d think everybody has to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed up like bees in a hive – community and all that nonsense.”
“I was an alderman for years – and Lord Mayor two years ago – and I’m still on the Bench – so I know the Brumley police offers pretty well”
“there’s every excuse for what your mother and I did” “Probably a Socialist or some sort of crank”
“Now look at the pair of them- the famous younger generation who know it all. And they can’t even take a joke-”
Key Language and Structural Features for Mr Birling
Mr Birling:
- long monologues
- dramatic irony
- His language is also very dismissive when he says ‘Fiddlesticks!’ and ‘silly’ - he belittles other’s ideas.
- Exclamatory sentence – he’s passionate and convinced about what he’s saying.
Titanic symbolizes his own family – believes they are untouchable until the Inspector arrives giving them a rude awakening.
His language changes when the Inspector arrives as he speaks in short, sharp fragments and uses lots of dashes.
His language becomes more colloquial ‘y’know’ which conveys how his authority is breaking down.
He often uses ‘I’ which conveys his selfish attitude, however, as the play continues he switches to the inclusive pronoun ‘we’ to diminish the scale of the problem (Eva’s death) and shift blame.
He uses understatement ‘it would be very awkward wouldn’t it?’
He uses euphemisms when referring to taboo subjects
How are Priestley’s Ideas Conveyed through Mr Birling
Priestley uses Birling as a symbol of the callous and heartlessness of capitalism. Through his character he is criticizing the complacency of capitalist prosperity.
He is representative of the older generation who were unwilling to change.
However, he is presented as a realistic character by Priestley through his use of colloquial language appropriate for the time. Furthermore, he is described as ‘panic stricken’ this indicates that his defiance and bravado have finally been shattered and so Priestley lets the audience see someone who is so blindly wrong and never as really in control of events as he would like himself and others to think. Therefore the audience is invited to feel sympathy.
Mrs Birling Key Quotations
“About fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband’s social superior”
“girls of that class”
‘you know, my husband was Lord Mayor only two years ago and that he’s still a magistrate’
‘I’m very sorry. But I think she only had herself to blame’
“I’ve done nothing wrong – and you know it.”
“Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility.”
“She was giving herself ridiculous airs…claiming elaborate fine feelings…that were simply absurd in a girl in her position.”
“As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!”
“I’m sorry she should have come to such a horrible end. But I accept no blame at all”
“he ought to be dealt with very severely-…make sure that he’s compelled to confess in public his responsibility”
‘he certainly didn’t make me confess – I had done no more than my duty’
Key Language and Structural Features for Mrs Birling
The stage descriptions of her actions change as the pretence is revealed e.g. ‘grandly’ / ‘haughtily’ / ‘triumphantly’ become ‘rather cowed’/ ‘distressed’ ‘staggered’ / ‘alarmed’.
Mrs Birling’s language is quite abrupt and dismissive: ‘that class’/ ‘that sort’/ ‘the type’. She believes she is morally and socially superior to them – she is a snob.
Later in the play Mrs Birling’s language is broken up into fragments that don’t connect: ‘No-Eric-please’. The fragmented speech echoes the collapsing of self-confidence and complacency of these very comfortable, middle class, wealthy characters. This is more shocking because of the contrast with how they were at the start of the play. The dashes could also represent the break down in their relationship.
Mrs Birling uses imperatives as she commands the Inspector and other characters which conveys her superiority, confidence and self-assurance.
Puts on a pretence of respectability by her use of euphemisms: e.g. ‘a girl of that class’ who has found herself in a ‘particular condition’
Use of imagery: Sheila warns her mother not to try and build up a kind of ‘wall’ – the wall being a symbol of a barrier/pretence
How are Priestley’s Ideas Conveyed through Mrs Birling
Priestley uses Mrs Birling to epitomize all that is wrong with society. She represents the social snobbery and hypocrisy of the upper classes and shows no remorse in her cruel treatment of Eva Smith.
Priestley presents her as an absurd character that ironically passes her own social guilt onto her own son – condemning him. As a result, Priestley deals with Mrs Birling with special severity, having her fall into a trap of her own making: she is confronted with the knowledge that Eric is a hard drinker and the father of the dead woman’s child. She has helped to kill her own grandchild. It is only when she realises this does she begin to show any signs of weakening.
Priestley shows us that we should not trust the wealthy members of society to tell the truth.
Sheila Key Quotations
“A pretty girl in her early twenties, very pleased with life and rather excited”
“Yes, go on, Mummy”
“(rather distressed) I can’t help thinking about this girl- destroying herself so horribly- and I’ve been so happy tonight. Oh I wish you hadn’t told me.”
“But these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people.”
“She was a very pretty girl…that didn’t make it any better.”
“I went to the manager and told him this girl had been very impertinent – and – and - ”
“And if I could help her now, I would-”
“I’ll never, never do it again to anybody…I feel now I can never go there again”
“Why- you fool- he knows. Of course he knows. And I hate to think how much he knows that we don’t know yet. You’ll see. You’ll see.”
“You mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl. If you do the Inspector will just break it down. And it’ll be all the worse when he does”
“No, he’s giving us the rope- so that we’ll hang ourselves”
Bitterly ”I suppose we’re all nice people now”
“He inspected us all right.”
“It frightens me the way you talk”
Key Language and Structural Features for Sheila
Sheila uses imagery when she talks of her mother’s attempts to ‘build up a kind of wall’; implying the metaphorical distance Mrs Birling creates between the classes. When Sheila warns the others that the Inspector is ‘giving us rope so that we hang ourselves’, she once again uses a metaphor to create a visual image of the way the Inspector skilfully manipulates characters into confessing their sins.
Sheila’s language also reflects her increasing maturity as she begins the play saying “mummy” using a lot of personal pronouns to highlight her selfish, childlike attitude at the start of the play. As the play progresses she refers to Mrs Birling as “mother” which reflects this change and perhaps she doesn’t feel as intimate with her mother and has lost respect for her because of the way she is behaving.
Sheila’s language becomes more passionate and she uses sarcasm (“So nothing’s happened, so there’s nothing to be sorry for, nothing to learn.”) Sheila also uses irony when she is appalled by her parents’ attitudes to carry on as before: “I suppose we’re all nice people now”. Sheila uses irony to show that she completely disagrees with her parents and that she understands the moral consequences of her actions. The use of irony highlights the tensions that existed between the younger and older generations.
Sheila and Eric are less restrained and their use of slang expressions such as ‘squiffy’ which shock their parents and highlight the tensions between the generations.
Sheila uses dramatic language “We killed her”
Stage directions– she “shivers”, “tensely” - shows her fear
Shows she becomes a bit like the Inspector – asking questions, contradicting her mother.
Sheila significantly refuses to take back Gerald’s ring and interestingly she uses phrases reminiscent of the Inspector in her reply, “not yet” and “It’s too soon” which emphasizes the importance of timing – the telephone rings just after.
How are Priestley’s Ideas Conveyed through Sheila
Priestley uses the character of Sheila to represent his own views of social responsibility.
She offers hope for the future and Priestley uses Shelia as an example of people’s changing attitudes towards those less fortunate than themselves. She is sympathetic towards Eva and other girls in her position, recognising that they were “not just cheap labour but people”. She accepts that her actions impacted on Eva’s life and that she cannot disconnect her actions from the effects these have on others. She recognises and understands the Inspector’s message that we are all collectively responsible for all that happens in the world.
At times she acts as almost an assistant to the Inspector, in that she supports his criticism of the other characters, becoming his mouthpiece when he has left the stage. Sheila’s character becomes quite didactic and this can make her a character with whom the audience do not sympathise with as her change has happened far too quickly and so she is in some ways quite unrealistic.
Eric Key Quotations
“In his early twenties, not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive”
“Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices”
“it isn’t as if you can go and work somewhere else.”
“He could have kept her on instead of throwing her out. I call it tough luck.”
“I’d have let her stay”
“Well I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty- and I threatened to make a row”
“And that’s when it happened. And I don’t even remember- that’s the hellish thing.”
“I wasn’t in love with her or anything- but I liked her- she was pretty and a good sport-”
“she didn’t want me to marry her. Said I didn’t love her- and all that. In a way, she treated me- as if I were a kid. Though I was nearly as old as she was.”
“You’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he’s in trouble- that’s why.”
“Then- you killed her. She came to you to protect me- and you turned her away-yes, and you killed her-and the child she’d have had too- my child- your own grandchild- you killed them both- damn you, damn you-”
“He was our police inspector all right”
“(shouting) And I say the girl’s dead and we all helped to kill her- and that’s what matters-”
Key Language and Structural Features for Eric
Eric acts as dramatic irritant to his father challenging his ideology – contradicting him / interrupting / asking questions.
Eric uses a euphemism to describe his sexual assault on Eva Smith: ‘that’s when it happened.’
Eric’s language is fragmented as he becomes emotional / hysterical. The dashed could also represent the break down in his relationship with his mother.
As his attack on his mother continues, his language becomes more violent as he repeats ‘killed’ three times. The effect on the reader is highly shocking as this language completely contrasts with the polite, euphemistic language of earlier in the play. Priestley effectively uses the semantic field of heaven and hell when Eric describes what he did to Eva Smith: ‘that’s the hellish thing. Oh - my God!’
When the Inspector leaves Eric emulates the Inspector using the Inspector’s harsh, commanding language. Priestley does this so the Inspector’s presence is felt on stage and a reminder to the audience to look at their own conscience. (“the girl’s dead”)
Eric’s character develops - stage directions, e.g. ‘uneasily’ / ‘unease’; ‘suddenly guffaws’ – by the end ‘shouting’
How are Priestley’s Ideas Conveyed through Eric
Eric has the most active social conscience – at the start of play he says: “he could have kept her instead of throwing her out”. This demonstrates that there is potential/hope for the future. At the end of the play Eric shows remorse and his acceptance is evidence of his moral fibre.
Through Eric’s treatment of Eva “I wasn’t in love with her or anything” an abhorrent picture of the upper-class emerges. They are shown to be callous and cold. However, Eric illustrates the capacity to change – despite your past errors and your family’s beliefs you can change. His transformation is more realistic – as at first he blames his mother for her death and then finally comes round to accepting responsibility.
On the other hand, he is presented as quite a weak character and is the most emotional and demonstrative of all. This leads the audience to question whether he can change his ways for good or is he too weak and dependent on his parents?
When Eric gives Eva stolen money, Priestley could be commenting that wealth does not replace goodness and integrity – there needed to be a more even distribution of wealth so people like Eric become socially aware.
Gerald Key Quotations
“An attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy but very much the easy well-bred young man-about-town”
“Well, it came just at the right moment. That was clever of you, Gerald.”
“You couldn’t have done anything else” (sacking Eva Smith)
“After all, y’know, we’re respectable citizens and not criminals”
(about Sheila): “She’s obviously had about as much as she can stand”
“Why should you [stay]? It’s bound to be unpleasant and disturbing”
“It’s a favourite haunt of women of the town”
‘[Daisy] gave me a glance that was nothing less than a cry for help”
“I insisted on Daisy moving into these rooms and I made her take some money to keep her going there…I want you to understand that I didn’t install her there so I could make love to her…I was sorry for her…I didn’t ask for anything in return”
“She was young and pretty and warm-hearted- and intensely grateful. I became at once the most important person in her life- you understand?”
“She told me she’d been happier than she’d ever been before”
“Nearly any man would have done” (adored being ‘fairy prince’)
“That man wasn’t a police officer…I’m almost certain”
“But how do you know it’s the same girl? … We’ve no proof it was the same photograph and therefore no proof it was the same girl”
“Everything’s all right now Sheila. What about this ring?”
Key Language and Structural Features for Gerald
Gerald is inevitably careful and correct about what he says.
Mrs Birling’s admiration of Gerald’s cleverness is echoed at the end of the play. There are many parallels like this in the play’s construction, which link in with Priestley’s ideas on timing.
Gerald echoes Mr Birling’s concern to protect Sheila from anything ‘unpleasant’ – patronizing – view of women
Euphemism is also used in the play when characters refer to taboo subjects, so when Mr Birling talks of Eva becoming a prostitute he talks of her going ‘on the street’ and Gerald refers to ‘women of the town’.
Gerald and Sheila use irony in their interchange when he says “You’re going to be a great help” and “I’m glad I amuse you”. The irony highlights for us the tension between the two of them.
Gerald uses imagery of a rescue mission when describing his role in Daisy Renton’s death. He does this to lessen his guilt and try and justify his behaviour.
Gerald’s offering Sheila the engagement ring echoes the same event from the start of the play.
How are Priestley’s Ideas Conveyed through Gerald
Priestley uses the character of Gerald Croft to throw light both on the Birling parents who are too set in their social ways to be changed by the Inspector’s visit, and on the Birling children who are certainly very responsive to the Inspector’s message, but possibly in a slightly naïve and hysterical way. Gerald acts as a bridge between the two generations.
Gerald provides a strong contrast to Eric, Mr Birling’s natural son and Priestley uses Gerald to show the tensions between Eric and his father.
Priestley shows that it was common for the upper class to behave so badly towards the lower-class by having Gerald present. If the Inspector only questioned the Birling family, Priestley wouldn’t be able to convey to the audience how widespread the problem was. Nor would he be able to get them to inspect their own consciences.