MRS BIRLING

• "her husband's social superior"

  • Priestley satirises a society that allows human beings to be defined by their role or purpose within the class system
• "Arthur you're not supposed to say such things"

  • marionette of her class as shes complicit in upholding its conventions
  • conditions her husband to do the same in saying, trying to iron out social faux pas so they operate within the expectations of their class
• "gross impertinence"

  • disgusted when Eva uses her name
  • sees her egotism and prejudice amplified at her disgust towards Eva
  • seems hyperbolic as she merely used her name, shows how highly Mrs Birling regards herself that she believes it is a great misconduct to insult her status
• "I consider I did my duty"

  • noun "duty" shows Mrs Birling duty was to uphold the class gap by refusing Eva help
  • stance contrast her anticipated role within her organisation, where she is expected to adopt a philanthropic position
  • personal pronoun - hopeful anticipation as she begins her speech with "I" expecting her to demonstrate personal remorse and guilt
  • rejects the idea of being accountable - doesn't align with pristine persona she wishes to portray
  • Priestley critiques classism, renders how even welfare organisations are hollow, corrupt and preformative
• [enters briskly and self-confidently, quite out of key]

  • conducted entirely under the arrogance of her social superiority
  • her character is discordant within the narrative of grief, remorse and suicide
  • exacerbates her emotional detachment, maintains the same [cold] demeanour observed in act one - antithesis to the "hysterical" and remorseful presentation of her daughter
  • adverb "briskly" indicates she is unwilling to pause and contemplate the adverse effects of her family's unscrupulousness and exploitation
  • fails to realise she will not remain unscathed
• "girls of that class"

  • makes it clear that rejection of Evas case was purely based on prejudice
  • determiner 'that' demonstrates contempt of the working class and is further evidence of how deep-rooted the class divide was in 20th century Britain
  • dismisses them as an aggregate inferior group that all behave in the same way her classist attitudes are apparent
• "he certainly didn't make me confess"

  • "confess" connotes crime, by her stating she hasn't committed any unlawful acts, subtly implies her lack of responsibility and shows her lack of remorse and guilt
  • imperative verb "make" hints at another reason as to why she so actively rejects responsibility - it is a way of keeping afloat in the power struggle between her and the inspector
  • choice of words subtly suggests that admitting responsibility would be conceding to the inspector
• "I was the only one who didn't give in to him"

  • portrays her distorted perception of pride, she boasts about a lack of moral sensitivity which seems corrupt and callous
  • Mrs Birling is linked to the cardinal sin of pride, which is extended throughout the play
  • she fails to navigate the world outside of her egotism and pride