Mrs Sybil Birling

• Mrs Sybil Birling is Arthur Birling's wife and right from the opening of the play she is cold-hearted and snobbish despite being a prominent member of local women's charity. Throughout dinner she tells Sheila and Eric off for things that she considers impolite whilst ignorantly turning a blind eye to her son drinking too much. It is clear that despite Eric being old enough to drink and Sheila getting married, she sees them both as children, not as a young man and woman.

  Her cold, uncaring nature leads to her downfall as the Inspector forces her to unknowingly condemn her own son.
• Mrs. Birling is very unsympathetic when describing Eva Smith's position
• Sybil assumes instantly that because Eva is pregnant and single she is a bad person
• "Sheila! You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" - Mrs Birling
• She believes that Eva's claims of fine feelings and scruples are absurd
• Mrs. Birling's opinion of Eva is very cruel and cold
• Mrs. Birling is ignorant
• She quickly jumps to Eric's defense when the Inspector suggests he is used to drinking
• She refers to Eric as 'only a boy', showing her ignorance and refusal to see him as a young man
• Her shock at the revelation about Eric's drinking habits further demonstrates her ignorance
• Mrs. Birling is snobbish
• She criticizes members of her family for their behavior, showing her snobbish nature
• She scolds Sheila for using the word 'squiffy', indicating her belief in proper speech and behavior
• Despite being a prominent member of a local women's charity, Mrs. Birling is cold-hearted and snobbish
• She sees her children, Eric and Sheila, as children rather than as young adults
• Mrs. Birling's cold, uncaring nature leads to her downfall
• The Inspector forces her to unknowingly condemn her own son due to her cold-heartedness
• "I didn’t know anything about it until this evening." - Mrs Birling
• "It wasn’t my fault at all." - Mrs Birling
• "I never heard of such a thing!" - Mrs Birling
• "It was all very well for him to say that he had no money but there were plenty of other things he could have done" - Mrs Birling
• "We don’t want any trouble from the police" - Mrs Birling
• "He ought to be ashamed of himself!" - Mrs Birling
• "We are not responsible for what happens to people like Eva Smith" - Mrs Birling
• Sybil Burling symbolizes the uncaring nature of capitalism
• She refuses to learn the inspector's lesson and Priestley uses her to symbolize how capitalist women, especially the rich, do not sympathize with those who are poorer and socially inferior
• She symbolizes the deadly sin of Pride and class prejudice
• She is a social superior to her husband, representing the upper class, and dismisses Eva's request for help, leading to Eva's despair
• Priestley suggests that Sybil is the most responsible for Eva's despair as she could have saved her by providing financial help
• Sybil Burling is named after the Greek myth of the sibyls, who had the gift of prophecy
• Ironically, Sybil Burling is blind to the truth and refuses to see the reality of society
• She is unaware of Eric's alcohol addiction, Alderman Meggarty's attacks, and Eric's relationship with Eva, showing her deliberate blindness
• She exhibits this blindness by refusing to believe the truth and expecting others to turn a blind eye to injustices
• Priestley criticizes Sybil for her refusal to feel guilt despite her actions leading to the death of her own grandchild
• Her lack of guilt showcases the ultimate prejudice and acceptance of the power that men have over her
• Priestley points out that the welfare state should not make moral judgments, unlike charities, and should help those in need regardless of fault
• "She would have married someone else if she hadn’t met Sheila" - Mrs Birling