Mrs Birling

• Who is Mrs. Birling married to?

  Mr. Birling
• Who are the children of Mrs. Birling?


  Eric and Sheila
• What public role does Mrs. Birling hold?


  She sits on the council for charity organizations
• How does Priestley use Mrs. Birling as a symbol?


  To represent the hypocrisy of the upper classes
• What does Priestley reveal about Mrs. Birling's nature through stage directions?


  She is a rather cold woman
• How does Mrs. Birling perceive the working classes?


  As inferior
• What does Mrs. Birling's reluctance to challenge her husband indicate?


  It reflects the inequality between men and women in early 20th Century domestic life
• What was the convention for women after dinner in the early 20th Century?


  To go to the drawing room while men discussed politics
• Who initiates the exit from the dining room?

  Mrs. Birling announces it is time for Sheila and herself to leave
• What does Mrs. Birling's commitment to the patriarchal status quo lead to?


  Her complicity in her own oppression
• How does Mrs. Birling view marriage?


  As a means to secure financial security and social status
• What does Mrs. Birling's indifference to Gerald's affair suggest?


  She views it as something to be expected of men
• How does Priestley describe Mrs. Birling in the stage directions?


  As a cold woman
• What does Mrs. Birling's cold nature imply about her attitude towards suffering?


  It suggests that her attitude is irrational and unnatural
• How does Mrs. Birling react to Sheila's distress over Eva's suicide?


  She is unsympathetic
• What does Mrs. Birling believe about the nature of marriage?


  It is a transaction rather than centered around love
• How does Gerald cover up his affair?


  By telling Sheila he’s busy at the works
• How does Mrs. Birling view men's sexual desires?


  She believes they should be accepted and satisfied by submissive women
• What does Mrs. Birling say about Eva's suicide?


  She blames Eva for her own fate