mr birling

• ‘i speak as a hard-headed man of business.’


  •highlights how he chooses to present himself in a way to show his desired authority and power, shows his insecurities

  •prioritises work and wealth over family

  •shows his pride
• ‘and a nasty mess you’ve made of it now.’


  •irony as mr birling is arguably the most problematic character

  •refusal to take responsibility. the inspector is bursting his ‘perfect’ bubble he’s built. shows how self cantered the upper middle class is

  •dehumanises and objectifies eva, showing mr birling’s and the upper classes’ selfishness
• ‘the story’s just a load of moonshine’


  •dismisses importance, insensitive, shows no character improvement

  •careless tone shows that he thinks the situation isn’t serious, showing the ignorance of the upper class
• ’look Inspector, i’d give thousands’


  only cares about status whilst being aware of the suffering of the lower class
• ‘unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable‘


  •dramatic irony discredits mr birling and his views to the 1945 audience

  •repetition shows his certainty in himself and hubris

  •titanic is a metaphor for the hubris of capitalism and mr birling