MR BIRLING

• ROLE:

  • Birling represents a stereotypical capitalist business man > more interested in MONEY than the welfare of others.
  • represents the viewpoints and ideas that Priestley criticises. (Priestley uses dramatic irony to undermine & ridicule his character - audience dislikes him as well.
  • Priestley wants the audience to share same views as Inspector - Mocking MR B.

  e.g. MR B'S declarations about the titanic being "Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable", economic predictions of 1940's and the impossibility of war making him sound foolish.

  • Audience - lived through it
• KEY SUMMARY OF MR B;

  • Birling is the "pompous", cruel patriarch of his family.
  • MR B is a social climber & very sociably conscious.
  • MRS B is his 'social superior' & the crofts are the highest classed characters in the play.
  • Never admits his responsibility to Eva's death.
• IMPORTANTCE OF MR B??

  1. Represents the older generation and how they are less likely to be influenced by socialism.
  2. represents middle-class men w money via capitalism
  3. no responsibility for anyone {eric's crime, affair of Gerald, Sheila's jealousy - allowed her behaviour and himself}