Mrs birling Flashcards
Introduced as “husbands social superior”
adjectives . Priestly satirises a society that allows human beings to be defined by their role or purpose within a class system
Paragon (a perfect example of)
Mrs B is a paragon of the aristocratic women during the Edwardian era
“Wife”-noun
Only character that is not named and referred to as Mr b wife suggesting her social role dehumanises her and detaches her from any sense of being
Topic sentence 2
Mrs b challenges the younger generation as they threaten the capitalist and classist system that she is profiting off
“Arthur you’re not supposed to say such things
She is a marionette of her class as she is complicit in upholding its conventions. She condition her husband to do the same in trying to iron out any social faux pas (socially improper) so they operate seamlessly within the expectation of their class.
Topic sentence , mrs b uphold patriarchy
Mrs b seemingly expressed no desire to break free from her gender role , she in fact works to uphold the patriarchy
“When you’re married you’ll realise
She acknowledges marriage is a process of enforcing and adopting a different set of controls and norms. Emphasise her worldview is largely based on her role as a wife
Tool for priestly
She is a tool for priestly to capture how marriage within the Edwardian era was a rite of passage , men would be permitted to exert newfound control over their wives and women would shift to operate under a stricter degree of control
She scolds her daughter
“What an expression…the things you girls pick up these days!” The exclamation could be a manifestation of her desperation to oppose any changes to convention that puts her class position under threat. Her superficially driven codes of conduct are exposed as she cares more about speech and etiquette than morality. more preoccupied with class than morality. The noun “girl” shows mrs b belittles Sheila in order to dismiss her behaviour and portray it as foolish and uncouth. She reinforces separation between older gen who are more robust to these newer ways of thinking and the younger ones that seem vulnerable to “picking” them up as if they were a disease.
Key words
Arrogant , controlling , unsympathetic, classist , a marionette of her class, pompous , heartless, upholds patriarchy, narcissistic , oblivious , cold , prejudiced
Topic sentence 3
By extension it seems she is commodified , value based on what can be achieved from marrying her as opposed to value based on moral judgment . This creates an environment in which she can act ignorantly and reject responsibility for her actions . Realised throughout play.
“I think Sheila and I better go to the drawing room and leave you men”
Contextually women would typically reside in drawing room after dinner to allow the men of the household to discuss topics demmed unfit for women to talk about . This spatial segregation helped reinforce the gender divide which is so deeply internalised for mrs b she actively enhances this segregation
