Mrs Birling Flashcards
Character in context Mrs Birling (or Sybil Birling) is married to Mr Birling and is mother to Eric and Sheila. She has some public influence as she sits on the council for charity organisations and is married to Mr Birling, who was Lord Mayor, and is a business owner. Priestley uses her as a symbol for the hypocrisy of the upper-classes and as a demonstration of the need for a welfare state. Priestley dictates in the stage directions that Mrs Birling is “about fifty, a rather cold woman” and thus reveals her unsympathetic and individualistic nature. She is her husband’s “social superior” and therefore belongs to an upper class family. ● Mrs Birling represents the selfish nature of the upper classes, their privileges, and their prejudices. ● She perceives the working classes as inferior.
Character in context Mrs Birling (or Sybil Birling) is married to Mr Birling and is mother to Eric and Sheila. She has some public influence as she sits on the council for charity organisations and is married to Mr Birling, who was Lord Mayor, and is a business owner. Priestley uses her as a symbol for the hypocrisy of the upper-classes and as a demonstration of the need for a welfare state. Priestley dictates in the stage directions that Mrs Birling is “about fifty, a rather cold woman” and thus reveals her unsympathetic and individualistic nature. She is her husband’s “social superior” and therefore belongs to an upper class family. ● Mrs Birling represents the selfish nature of the upper classes, their privileges, and their prejudices. ● She perceives the working classes as inferior.
Complicit in her own domination Priestley portrays an accurate depiction of domestic life in the early 20th Century, as the inequality between men and women and is demonstrated through her reluctance to challenge her husband. ● At the time it was the convention (tradition of the time) for to go to the drawing room after dinner, allowing men to remain in the dining room to discuss politics and news. These were not considered suitable topics for women, so they were excluded from such affairs and confined to domestic chores. ● However, Mr Birling does not command her to leave; she knows her place. It is Mrs Birling, who is the one to initiate their exit as she announces it is time for Sheila and herself to “leave you men”. ○ Mrs Birling’s commitment to maintaining the patriarchal status quo (existing state of affairs) leads her to become complicit in her own oppression and she inflicts this upon her own daughter.
Marriage is a construct Mrs Birling recognises that marriage is a means to secure financial security and social status. ● Loyalty and trust, the foundations of a loving relationship, are not seen by Mrs Birling as important. ○ This is demonstrated through Mrs Birling’s indifference to Gerald’s affair with “Daisy Renton” (Eva Smith’s pseudonym) and potentially Mr Birling’s affair. Instead, it is viewed as something to be expected of men. ● Priestley describes Mrs Birling as a “cold woman” in the stage directions, which would have been perceived as a bit of an oxymoron at the time. ○ Contemporary women were meant to conform to the expectations of their gender of being loving, maternal and sensitive. However, Mrs Birling is “cold”, implying that she shows little emotion, and is self-interested. https://bit.ly/pmt-cc https://bit.ly/pmt-cc https://bit.ly/pmt-edu ○ Perhaps, this is Priestley conveying the message that Mrs Birling’s detached attitude towards suffering is irrational and unnatural. ○ Mrs Birling’s cold nature is further demonstrated when she is unsympathetic to her child’s distress after Sheila discovers how her actions helped contribute to Eva’s suicide. ● The idea of marriage is clearly not centred around love for Mrs Birling; it is a transaction. ● Gerald covers up his affair by telling Sheila he’s “busy at the works”, which she doesn’t question initially, submitting to her expected societal role, based on her gender.
Upholding the patriarchy Priestley portrays Mrs Birling as upholding the current patriarchal system of 1912. Her perception of men’s sexual desires is a clear patriarchal interpretation as she believes they should be accepted and satisfied, without question, by submissive women. Mrs Birling percieves Eva’s suicide as Eva’s own fault as those who are responsible were “first, the girl herself” and “secondly the young man”. Mrs Birling takes the ignorant view that working class women voluntarily choose prostitution rather than being forced into it. The Inspector’s message of collective responsibility is rejected by Mrs Birling, and she denies her role in the chain of events leading to Eva’s suicide: “I won’t believe it”. Rather than accept the need for greater social responsibility, Mrs Birling maintains the view that Eva chose to lead the life she led, and therefore the consequences are her own fault. Therefore, there is no need for society to change, as she believes that class inequalities did not cause Eva’s death, and Mrs Birling’s privileged upper class lifestyle can continue.
Hysteria Mrs Birling perceives displays of emotion to be a sign of weakness. This is evident when she attempts to silence and dismiss Sheila, telling her that “you’re behaving like a hysterical child”. Priestley includes references to the hysteria disorder, which has historically been used to control women and prevent them from acquiring positions of power. ➔ Sheila’s newfound socialist views are opposed by Mrs Birling and therefore using hysteria to dismiss her as delusional is easier than attempting to argue against the views she holds. ➔ This is an example of an ad hominem attack, focusing on Sheila’s personal traits, demonstrating that Mrs Birling does not have a satisfactory counter-argument. ➔ Gerald sides with Mrs Birling in attacking Sheila for becoming “hysterical”.
Resisting suffrage Mrs Birling is used by Priestley as a symbol of the upper classes, many of whom resisted the suffrage movement in the early 20th Century. https://bit.ly/pmt-cc https://bit.ly/pmt-cc https://bit.ly/pmt-edu ● Mrs Birling perceives the suffrage movement as undermining traditional gender roles and the foundation of the family, which will ultimately (in her view) lead to domestic chaos. ● Priestley demonstrates Mrs Birling’s conservative view that women should have moral and domestic roles and exclude themselves from the political realm of men. ● She is able to take this stance because she has no interest in changing society because she is privileged. Suffrage threatens her comfortable lifestyle, as Mrs Birling’s privileges are at risk.
Relationships with other characters Marriage of convenience Priestley presents Mrs Birling as, to an extent, ashamed of her husband’s lower-class origins and the way he carries himself. Mrs Birling is, as Priestley describes her in the stage directions, her husband’s “social superior”. Therefore, the upper class social etiquette and mannerisms of Mrs Birling are unnatural to Mr Birling. This is demonstrated by Priestley’s use of the adverb “reproachfully” in the stage directions when she criticises Mr Birling: “Arthur, you’re not supposed to say such things”. Their marriage was most likely arranged in a similar fashion to a transaction; Mr Birling’s financial support in exchange for Mrs Birling’s reputable family and status. Here, Priestley demonstrates the individualism of capitalists, as they don’t marry for love, but in the interests of social mobility or financial gain. Mrs Birling hints at Mr Birling having an affair, and accepting it, responding to Sheila’s discomfort in the knowledge of Gerald’s affair, as something she will “have to get used to, just as I did”. This further evidences the expected lack of happiness and love in marriage. Priestley dictates in the stage directions that the Birling household doesn’t feel “cosy or homelike” as the family is not one built on love but built for appearance and in a “portentous” (done to impress) fashion.
Sheila resists her mother’s manipulation Priestley portrays Sheila as, at first, a victim of her mother’s influence. However, after the Inspector’s arrival, there is a distinct shift in their relationship; Sheila rejects her mother’s manipulation. Initially, Sheila is obviously influenced by her mother’s formal vocabulary, evidenced by Sheila’s use of the adjective “impertinent” when she describes Eva, linguistically echoed by her mother later. However, Sheila, towards the end of the play, rejects the use of this adjective, calling it “such a silly word”. It is clear that from this point onwards, Mrs Birling has lost all influence and power over her daughter.
Mrs Birling juxtaposes Sheila Priestley uses two female characters that directly contrast each other, creating a clear distinction between the older and younger generations which highlights the differences in their beliefs and attitudes. Sheila is the exemplar response (how Priestley wants the audience to respond) to the Inspector’s message, whereas Mrs Birling is her direct antithesis (opposite character). This is evident as Sheila aligns herself with the views of the Inspector, while Mrs Birling rejects the Inspector’s message. ➔ Mrs Birling denies all responsibility and inadvertently deflects the blame onto her son, Eric, as ”I’ll tell you what I told her [Eva]. Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility.” ➔ Sheila accepts her role in Eva’s suicide immediately, and is remorseful: “I know I’m to blame – and I’m desperately sorry”. Here, Priestley presents Mrs Birling as symbolic of conservatism and resistant to change. Sheila symbolises the progressive younger generation, who will replace the outdated views of their parents. Mrs Birling represents the bygone era of the Victorian age, with strict etiquette and formal language, neither of which have a place in contemporary society.
Opposition to the Inspector Mrs Birling is in complete opposition to the Inspector and the message that he represents - the need for increased social responsibility. Priestley portrays Mrs Birling as significantly opposed to the Inspector. ● Priestley demonstrates Mrs Birling’s abhorrence to the Inspector’s accusing and forthright tone through the rhetorical question “what business is it of yours?” and the exclamation “I beg your pardon”. ○ The Inspector violates the established class system of 1912 Britain, in his treatment and accusation of Mrs Birling, who is of a much higher social class. ● Mrs Birling’s outrage at being dictated to by an Inspector of a lower-class background is demonstrated by the passive-aggressive response, “I realise that you have to conduct some sort of inquiry, but I must say that so far you seem to be conducting it in a rather peculiar and offensive manner.”
Contempt for Eva Priestley portrays Mrs Birling as maintaining a repugnance (hatred) for Eva Smith and her working class background. Priestley presents Mrs Birling as having strong-held beliefs against people of inferior social status. ● Mrs Birling immediately signals her indifference to Eva’s suffering as she tells Sheila she “ought to go to bed - and forget about this absurd business”. The adjective “absurd” reveals her dismissiveness; due to the death of Eva not directly affecting Mrs Birling, she sees no point in caring. https://bit.ly/pmt-cc https://bit.ly/pmt-cc https://bit.ly/pmt-edu ● The real reason behind Mrs Birling’s dislike of Eva is revealed as she doesn’t “suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committted suicide. Girls of that class -”. ○ The divide between the upper and lower classes is evidenced by Mrs Birling’s use of the determiner “that”, which enables her to distance herself from the working class, which she views as ‘other’ (different from herself). ○ This is further evidenced by Mrs Birling’s contempt for Eva, who clearly didn’t appreciate Eva’s social etiquette “I didn’t like her manner”. ● Mrs Birling describes Eva’s plea for aid to the charity council which she sits on as “simply a piece of gross impertinence”. Therefore, it is clear that Mrs Birling’s prejudice against the lower classes negatively affects those people in her charity work.
Indifference to Eric Priestley shows Mrs Birling to be ‘cold’ and uncaring, even for her own children. She is more concerned with the way in which Eric and Sheila behave as upper class citizens, than with their own personal wellbeing. Priestley portrays Mrs Birling as indifferent to Eric’s welfare. To shift some of the responsibility away from her, Mrs Birling inadvertently blames her own son, dictating the punishments he should receive, “He should be made an example of. If the girl’s death is due to anybody, then it’s due to him”. Then, upon realising that Eric is indeed the father of Eva’s soon-to-be child, she refuses to accept this as the truth: “Eric, I can’t believe it. There must be some mistake.” ➔ Mrs Birling refuses this fact as it jeopardises the reputation of the Birling family. ➔ Eric’s outrage towards his mother, who is unsympathetic and fails to even apologise, is demonstrated by Priestley in his broken speech, “Then - you killed her… and the child she’d have had too – my child – your own Grandchild – you killed them both – damn you, damn you.” and “You don’t understand anything. You never did. You never even tried.” Mrs Birling expresses her disappointment in her son as “Eric, I’m absolutely ashamed of you”. Here, it is clear that Mrs Birling still hasn’t accepted any responsibility. It is important to note that Mrs Birling only expresses this after the Inspector leaves as perhaps, she knew that he would object to her saying this. ➔ Eric responds to this with “well, I don’t blame you. But don’t forget I’m ashamed of you as well - yes both of you”. This shows that Eric has accepted responsibility as he doesn’t blame his mother for being “ashamed”, but he doesn’t allow his parents to escape the responsibility either, reminding them of their implication. ○ Mrs Birling remains unsympathetic towards Eric despite denying aid to her granddaughter-to-be’s mother, which was one of the last things that contributed to Eva’s suicide.
Final Impressions Superficiality Mrs Birling and her husband are static characters, as their beliefs remain unchanged at the end of the play. Priestley presents Mrs Birling as seeming to care very deeply about others’ perception of her. ● She believes that “I did my duty” in denying Eva aid, due to a lack of evidence in her story. Priestley presents Mrs Birling’s perception of “duty” as limited to a capitalist social duty of keeping the rich people rich and the poor people poor. In doing so, she neglects her moral duty to provide assistance to those who need it the most.
Image conscious Mrs Birling’s public image is of utmost importance, and she is concerned about how the family is perceived by others. ● Eva’s use of the “Birling” surname was a cause of embarrassment to Mrs Birling, as she felt disgusted by being associated with the lower class. ● Priestley presents Mrs Birling in contrast to her husband: ○ She is his “social superior” and fully aware of how a family should appear. ○ Mrs Birling admonishes her husband, telling him that he isn’t “supposed to say such things” after complimenting their chef, in part because he is a member of their own staff, and also due to Mrs Birling wanting to maintain an image of ignoring the existence of working class people. ● Mrs Birling is accustomed to getting what she desires, whilst maintaining power and control over others. ○ This power is something she enjoys, as demonstrated by her denial of aid to Eva, whilst sitting on a charity’s council. ○ The Inspector’s overwhelming sense of moral authority is therefore met with great opposition from Mrs Birling.
