Mrs Birling Quotes And Meaning Flashcards
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.
“About fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband’s social superior”
Doesn’t take any responsibilities and has very little to no sympathy for lower class people. Also is dramatic irony as she is supposed to take care of people
‘I’m very sorry. But I think she only had herself to blame’
Later in the play Mrs Birling’s language is broken up into fragments. 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.
“I’ve done nothing wrong – and you know it.”
Mrs Birling uses imperatives as she commands the Inspector and other characters which conveys her superiority, confidence and self-assurance. Also is dramatic irony as she is the mother of the father of the child.
“Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility.”
What does Mrs Birling represent?
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
