Mrs Birling Flashcards
Overview
Mrs. Birling is portrayed as a character who values tradition, social decorum, and rigid gender roles. She holds a patronising attitude towards Sheila, reflecting her desire to uphold conservative values. Priestley critiques her hypocrisy, highlighting her superficial understanding of morality and exposing the dangers of an over-reliance on tradition, which leads to moral blindness.
Quotes
‘Arthur, you’re not supposed to say such thing’ - Pg 2
‘Sheila! What an expression… the things you girls pick up on these days!’ - Pg 3
‘Girls of that class.’ - Pg 30
“I think she only had herself to blame.” - Pg 43
‘He certainly didn’t make me confess.’ - Pg 60
‘Arthur, you’re not supposed to say such things’
Point - Mrs. Birling is presented as upholding societal conventions, demonstrating her obsession with appearances and her belief in maintaining respectability over honesty.
Choice - By using the phrase ‘not supposed to’, Mrs. Birling implies the existence of unspoken societal rules that Arthur should follow. This reveals her strong belief in maintaining appearances and adhering to social etiquette.
Effect - Her reprimand highlights her sense of superiority within the family, as she assumes the authority to correct her husband. It also reinforces the theme of social expectations, showing how Mrs Birling prioritises status and respectability over honesty or personal opinions.
‘Sheila! What an expression… the things you girls pick up on these days!’
Point - Mrs Birling is presented as enforcing traditional gender roles, expecting women to be refined and subservient, reflecting outdated societal norms.
Choice - By reacting with shock to Sheila’s language, Mrs Birling reinforces the idea that women should speak and behave in a refined, controlled manner. Her disapproval reflects the societal expectation that women must conform to traditional, subservient roles.
Effect - This highlights how women were judged based on propriety rather than individuality, limiting their autonomy. Priestley uses Mrs Birling’s rigid beliefs to critique these gender norms, contrasting her with Sheila, who later challenges these expectations. This contrast reinforces Priestley’s message of social progress and the need for gender equality.
“Girls of that class.”
Point - Mrs Birling is presented as dismissive and prejudiced, reinforcing her belief in her social superiority while ironically working for a charity.
Choice - The determiner ‘that’ is spoken in a dismissive and insulting way, implying that all working-class people are the same and beneath her. Mrs. Birling’s assumption that a working-class woman would lack morals, such as not hesitating to take stolen money, reinforces her belief in her own social superiority.
Effect - This is deeply ironic, as she works for a charity meant to help women she openly looks down upon. Priestley uses her character to critique the upper class, showing how their charitable actions are often more about maintaining prestige and a sense of superiority rather than genuine generosity.
“I think she only had herself to blame.”
Point - Mrs Birling is presented as childish and unsympathetic, shifting blame to Eva to avoid responsibility, highlighting her disregard for systemic inequality.
Choice - By shifting the blame onto Eva, despite her being the victim, Mrs Birling reflects the upper-class belief that the lower-class suffered due to their own choices rather than systemic inequality. Her refusal to acknowledge her role mirrors a child’s tantrum, as she desperately avoids accountability.
Effect - Priestley presents Mrs Birling as childish and unsympathetic to make the audience dislike her and the privileged class she represents. This reinforces his socialist message that the wealthy cannot absolve themselves of responsibility for the suffering of the poor.
“He certainly didn’t make me confess.”
Point - Mrs Birling is presented as defensive and arrogant, viewing responsibility as a threat to her power, highlighting her capitalist mindset.
Choice - The verb ‘confess’ carries connotations of crime, suggesting that Mrs. Birling sees admitting responsibility as something shameful or criminal. The use of ‘make’ as an imperative verb further emphasises her refusal to be coerced into accepting guilt, as she tries to reassert her social superiority over the Inspector.
Effect - This highlights Mrs. Birling’s belief that taking responsibility would undermine her power. Priestley uses this to criticise how capitalists link responsibility with a loss of power, suggesting that a socialist approach, which embraces shared responsibility, is preferable to the capitalist mentality of individualism and privilege.
