Mrs Birling Priestley's Ideas Flashcards
How does Preistley use 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.
How does Priestley present Mrs Birling
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.
From Mrs Birling what does Priestley show us
Priestley shows us that we should not trust the wealthy members of society to tell the truth.
