Mrs Birling

• "(reproachfully) Arthur, you're not supposed to say such things"


  Mrs Birling is a bit of a snob. She is aware of class distinction and is embarrassed when Birling compliments the cook. This reminds us of the different backgrounds of the birling parents
• "Really the things you girls pick up these days!"

  She disapproves of the slang word "squiffy" reminding us of the theme of youth and age running through the play. The parents are much more stuck in their ways and there is a clear generation gap used by Priestley to shows us parts of why the play ends how it does
• "gross impertinence"


  This is what Mrs Birling calls Eva Smith's unfortunate introduction where she addresses herself as "mrs birling". This prejudices Sybil against Eva and as a result she wont help with the case any further, reminding us of her stubborn nature
• "Perfectly justified"


  Is how Mrs Birling feels in dismissing Eva Smith, albeit she is head of a charity for women in need she lacks compassion after judging her first introduction to the girl
• "it wasn't I who turned her out of employment"


  She is denying any responsibility on her behalf and tries to blame Arthur instead, showing she really doesn't care if she throws someone else under the bus as long as her own reputation remains spotless and guilt free
• "some drunken young idler"


  Mrs Birling , before knowing that this "drunken young idler" as she harshly puts it, is her own son Eric. She again is trying to pass the blame onto somebody else
• "As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money"

  We see how compassion-lacking Mrs Birling really is and it is ironic that she is head of a charity for women in need if she is judging them according to a "sort". There is an emphasis on "that" which indicates again her awareness of class distinction
• Priestley uses a lot more severity when it comes to Mrs Birling


  She falls into her own trap when confronted with the fact that Eric is a hard drinker, the father to the late Eva Smith's child as well as a criminal who stole from his own family business
• How does Priestley use dramatic irony with Mrs Birling?

  We realise long before her that whom she is calling harsh names like "drunken young idler" is Eric
• How does Priestley use situational irony with Mrs Birling?


  We know that she would not apply such derogatory words to Eric is she knew it was he that she was condemning
• "amused"


  When the visit seems to confirmed as a hoax, Mrs Birling is "amused" and cannot see why they can't laugh and forget the whole thing. This contrasts to Sheila and Eric who feel no matter what they have something to learn from the events. The generation gap shows us the difference between the old who are keen on protecting their image and the young who want to better themselves
• "I don't believe it, I won't believe it"


  When Mrs Birling has an opinion, it will not be swayed. In the same way that Birling likes to exert control over the household, Mrs Birling always likes to be in control of her status and nothing could stain it
• "I was the only one of you who didn't give in to him"

  She is very self-righteous, even after everything she has admitted about turning Eva Smith away, she still is keen to validate herself and feels a constant need to be in the right
• "Girls of that class"


  She puts an emphasis on the divide between social classes as if one were superior than the other, which explains to us why she treated Eva Smith in the way that she did. Scarily, this opinion doesn't change even at the end of the play, where Priestley is indicating that some people just can't learn from a situation
• "You know of course that my husband was Lord Mayor"


  Like Mr Birling, she is keen to show off the family's success and high status, and here it is to intimidate the Inspector so she can gain a higher standing in the situation. Priestley uses the calm and dry Inspector to juxtapose this and interestingly, it is he who gains the advantage and obvious control- actions speak louder than words