Mrs Birling

• Priestley presents Mrs Birling as cold and self righteous/prideful as to highlight the flaws of the current class system
• (Agitated now) "Please remember before you start accusing me of anything"


  • Unwilling to accept social responsibility despite contributing towards Eva's death.

  • Willing to destroy others rather than lose any reputation

  • Agitation highlights a sense of pride which she feels she must save.
• "As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!"


  • Exclamative sentence confirms belief

  • "That sort"

  • Vague language

  • As if alienated from "that sort", Mrs Birling refuses to break class barriers at a personal level despite running a charity to help people such as Eva.

  • Prejudiced

  • Context:

  • Working class had little money and were submissive

  • Eva didn't conform to this, perhaps leading to Mrs Birling's dislike of her.
• Priestley uses Mrs Birling's conflict of interest when she discovers Eric was the figure in Eva's life to convey the flaws of societies focus on themselves. This is further highlighted by her hypocrisy.
• (Triumphantly) "I'm glad to hear it."


  • Use of harsh consonant "T" at the end of sentence:

  • Creates a more forceful stop

  • Perhaps highlights how this is her final opinion and nothing can change it.

  • Triumphantly:

  • Heightens her emotions

  • Makes her fall seem greater in the future -> More hypocrisy

  • "I'm glad":

  • Heightening her own opinion in the belief that it matters

  • Perhaps feeling insecure as suffrage movements gain traction

  • Hypocrisy as she appears to advocate for women's rights, but also feels insecure because of it
• "But surely ... I mean ... It's ridiculous ..."


  "But surely" -> Confident

  "I mean" -> Tentative

  "It's ridiculous" -> Desperate

  • Ellipses reflect desperate thinking on how to get out of her current situation