mrs birling

• Mrs Birling


  • Has public influence as she sits on the council for charity
  • Used as a symbol of hypocrisy of the upper classes
  • Demonstrates the need for welfare
• Mrs Birling is described as "about fifty, a rather cold woman which reveals her unsympathetic and individualistic nature"
• Mrs Birling perceives the working class as inferior
• Mrs Birling represents the selfish nature of the upper classes
• Priestley portrays an accurate depiction of domestic life in the early 20th century, as the inequality between men and women is demonstrated through Mrs Birling's reluctance to challenge Mr Birling
• At the time, it was convention for women to go to one drawing room whilst men talked about politics and news in the dining room as these topics were seen as unsuitable for women
• Mrs Birling knows her place and does not challenge Mr Birling
• Mrs Birling is committed to maintaining the patriarchal status quo, leading her to be complicit in her own oppression and inflict this on her own daughter
• Mrs Birling's view of marriage

  A construct for financial security and social status, love and trust are not important
• Mrs Birling is demonstrated to be cold, unsympathetic and lacking in emotion
• Mrs Birling believes men's desires should be accepted and satisfied without question by women
• Mrs Birling thinks Eva's suicide is her fault as those responsible are "first the girl herself and secondly the young man"
• Mrs Birling thinks the working class voluntarily choose prostitution
• Mrs Birling rejects the Inspector's message of collective responsibility
• Mrs Birling sees emotion as a weakness, evident when dismissing Sheila "you're behaving like a hysterical child"
• Mrs Birling opposes Sheila's socialist views, using hysteria to dismiss her as delusional
• Mrs Birling is used as a symbol of the upper classes who resisted the suffrage movement in the early 1900s
• Mrs Birling perceives the suffrage movement as undermining traditional gender roles and the foundation of the family, leading to domestic chaos
• Mrs Birling's conservative view is that women should have moral domestic roles, excluded from positions of power
• Mrs Birling's upper class social status and mannerisms contrast with Mr Birling's more vulgar behaviour
• Mrs Birling hints at an affair when responding to Sheila's discomfort over Gerald's affair
• Sheila is a victim of her mother's influence, but rejects this manipulation after the Inspector's arrival
• Mrs Birling denies all responsibility, while Sheila accepts responsibility
• Mrs Birling has complete opposition to the Inspector and his message of increased social responsibility
• Mrs Birling signals her indifference and dismisses the situation as "absurd business"
• Mrs Birling's dislike of Eva is revealed as she doesn't "suppose a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide", distancing herself from the working class
• Mrs Birling is portrayed as cold and uncaring for her own children, only concerned with their behaviour as upper class citizens
• Mrs Birling blames her son Eric for Eva's pregnancy and death, refusing to believe he is the father
• Mrs Birling expresses disappointment in Eric but does not accept any responsibility herself
• Mrs Birling's sense of self-importance and superiority drives her to abuse her privilege, demonstrated by her use of "impertinent" to describe Eva
• Mrs Birling takes the view that suicide is a conscious choice and Eva can only blame herself for her death
• Mrs Birling does not regret denying aid to Eva, demonstrating her cold nature
• Mrs Birling's double standards are revealed when she opposes Eric publicly confessing his responsibility to avoid tarnishing the Birling family reputation
• Priestley presents Mrs Birling as a symbol of conservatism
• “And youre not supposed to say stuff like that when we got guests around”


  This is Mrs Brirling trying to reflect her high social ettiqute onto Eric and Sheila
• “alright, just a little”


  controlling Eric’s drinking - could also be her not seeing the fact that her children are grown adults
• “a bit squiffy” “sheila.”

  quick to comment on her children when they say something that she would see as out of line
• “Standards, Eric”


  reflecting social ettiqute
• “how disgusting” (commenting on Gerald wanting to help Eva)


  this is at the peak of her progressed views on women and marriage. She is digusted at Gerald for helping Eva when she didnt