Social Class

• Social class


  • Influences a lot of what happens in the play
  • Divided Britain in 1912
  • The land and factory owners were wealthy and powerful, while their workers lived in poverty
  • The two classes rarely interacted
• The World Wars


  Dismantled the British class system
• The war effort


  Brought people together
• Rationing


  Meant the different classes had to live similar lifestyles regardless of wealth
• Despite this, class inequality still existed and this is what Priestley wanted to emphasise to his audience
• The attitudes and prejudices that class hierarchy created were still ingrained in society, particularly in the minds of the upper class
• The upper classes scorned (viewed with hatred) and mocked their working class peers
• By revealing the destructive impact class hierarchy had in 1912, Priestley encourages 1940s society to move forwards towards social equality instead of returning to the old ways
• The setting


  • The upper class Birlings initially live in blissful ignorance of others' suffering
  • The stage directions describe the lighting as "pink and intimate" (Act 1, pg 1), symbolising the Birlings' optimistic, rose-tinted perspective
  • The family are described as being "pleased with themselves" (Act 1, pg 2), revealing their complacency
• Priestley implies the upper classes lack a conscience. They are not confronted with what their happiness costs others
• Priestley uses the play to emphasise the divide between the rich and poor
• The differences between classes make huge impacts on the characters and their experiences
• Priestley shows how social class alienates the two groups so that neither interact, and this is emphasised by how we only ever see one working class character on stage
• Priestley argues that the upper classes maintain the class system because it benefits them, allowing them to live in ignorance of how the working classes struggle
• Priestley suggests that authorities and politicians don't realise that it is possible for one group to succeed and prosper while the other experiences a severe decline
• Success for some does not mean success for all
• Mr Birling's claims that the country is "in for a time of steadily increasing prosperity" (Act 1, pg 6) and "there'll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere" (Act 1, pg 7)


  Overlooks the poverty, disease, and physical labour endured by the lower classes
• Mr Birling doesn't consider that such "prosperity" and "progress" relies on the hard work of others
• Mr Birling accuses the Inspector of ruining their evening


  Contrasts with the Inspector's reply about the tragedy of Eva Smith's death
• This juxtaposition emphasises how selfish and petty Mr Birling's complaint is
• Eva Smith is symbolic of the lower classes as a whole
• The audience's perspective of Eva is altered by the Birlings' classist remarks and personal bias
• Priestley shows how easy it is for the upper classes to influence the narrative surrounding the working classes
• The Birlings, and Mrs Birling in particular, can describe Eva in their own terms without being challenged, forming a new reality
• Mr Birling


  • A member of the nouveau riche
  • Most concerned about his social class
  • Insecure about his standing but feels entitled to respect and power
  • A symbol of class conflict and the upper classes' reaction to this conflict
  • A symbol of upper class privilege, showing how the upper classes used their positions to evade conflict and responsibility
• When Mr Birling says "If you don't come down sharply on some of these people, they'd soon be for the earth" (Act 1, pg 15)


  It becomes clear that he thinks it is his personal obligation to put the lower classes in their place
• Priestley shows how the upper classes viewed any attempt by the lower classes to stand up for themselves as an outrageous, disrespectful act
• Priestley demonstrates how the upper classes purposefully perpetuated (continued) the cycle of poverty and widened the class divide
• They do this as a result of their own vanity, as they are under the illusion they are being righteous
• Gerald Croft & Mr Birling


  • Priestley includes their interactions to demonstrate how social class makes people act with ulterior motives and causes divisions where there doesn't need to be any
  • Gerald Croft comes from a family that is of a higher class than the Birlings (Gerald is from old money whereas Mr Birling is considered nouveau riche)
  • Mr Birling is keen for the two to marry because it will help him climb the social ladder and grow his business
  • The Crofts are reluctant because the Birlings' lower social status will degrade them
• Priestley implies that social class makes people selfish. People are only able to be motivated by opportunities to improve their own social position
• Even Mr Birling is aware that the Croft family is not particularly happy about the engagement
• The Crofts believe they are better than the Birlings, and don't want their family line to be tarnished by the lower, industrial classes
• Priestley shows that even Mr Birling is a victim to class prejudices, which makes his treatment of Eva ironic
• Priestley suggests these attitudes are universally accepted and "only natural", leading to permanent divisions within communities
• Mrs Birling


  • The epitome of upper class prejudice
  • Her "cold" demeanor and social superiority make her particularly judgemental and blunt
  • She makes assumptions about Eva because she is a working class girl, and these lead her to deny Eva any help from the charity
  • She believes all lower class people are immoral and money-hungry, and she is not afraid to admit it
• When Mrs Birling recalls how Eva introduced herself as "Mrs Birling", she is outraged because she thinks it will sully or taint her name if it is used by a working class girl
• Priestley intends to show how ingrained prejudice was in society, and how deliberately dismissive the upper class were of their lower class peers
• Mrs Birling believes all lower class people are immoral and money-hungry, and she is not afraid to admit it
• Mrs Birling: '"I think it was simply a piece of gross impertinence - quite deliberate - and naturally that was one of the things that prejudiced me against her case"'