Mrs Birling

• Who is Mrs. Birling married to?

  Mr. Birling
• Who are the children of Mrs. Birling?

  Eric and Sheila
• What role does Mrs. Birling have in society?

  She has public influence as a council member for charity organizations.
• How does Priestley use Mrs. Birling as a symbol?

  She symbolizes the hypocrisy of the upper classes and the need for a welfare state.
• How is Mrs. Birling described in the stage directions?

  As "about fifty, a rather cold woman."
• What does Mrs. Birling's cold nature reveal about her character?

  It reveals her unsympathetic and individualistic nature.
• What does Mrs. Birling perceive about the working classes?

  She perceives them as inferior.
• How does Priestley depict domestic life in the early 20th Century through Mrs. Birling?

  He shows the inequality between men and women through her reluctance to challenge her husband.
• What was the convention for women after dinner during the early 20th Century?

  Women were expected to go to the drawing room while men remained in the dining room.
• How does Mrs. Birling initiate her exit from the dining room?

  She announces it is time for Sheila and herself to "leave you men."
• What does Mrs. Birling's commitment to the patriarchal status quo lead to?

  It leads her to become complicit in her own oppression and inflict this upon her daughter.
• How does Mrs. Birling view marriage?

  She sees it as a means to secure financial security and social status.
• What does Mrs. Birling's indifference to Gerald's affair demonstrate?


  It shows that she views infidelity as something to be expected of men.
• How does Priestley describe Mrs. Birling in relation to contemporary expectations of women?

  He describes her as a "cold woman," which contrasts with the expectation of women being loving and maternal.
• What message might Priestley be conveying through Mrs. Birling's detached attitude towards suffering?

  That her attitude is irrational and unnatural.
• How does Mrs. Birling react to Sheila's distress over Eva's suicide?

  She is unsympathetic to her child's distress.
• How does Mrs. Birling view the idea of marriage?

  She views it as a transaction rather than centered around love.
• How does Gerald cover up his affair with Eva Smith?

  He tells Sheila he’s “busy at the works.”
• What does Mrs. Birling believe about men's sexual desires?

  She believes they should be accepted and satisfied by submissive women.
• How does Mrs. Birling perceive Eva's suicide?

  She sees it as Eva's own fault.
• What is Mrs. Birling's view on the Inspector's message of collective responsibility?

  She rejects it and denies her role in the events leading to Eva's suicide.
• How does Mrs. Birling justify her lack of social responsibility?

  She maintains that class inequalities did not cause Eva's death.
• How does Mrs. Birling view displays of emotion?

  She perceives them as a sign of weakness.
• How does Mrs. Birling attempt to silence Sheila?

  By telling her that “you’re behaving like a hysterical child.”
• What does Priestley suggest about the term 'hysteria' in relation to women?

  It has historically been used to control women and prevent them from acquiring power.
• How does Mrs. Birling respond to Sheila's socialist views?

  She opposes them and uses hysteria to dismiss her as delusional.
• What type of attack does Mrs. Birling use against Sheila?

  An ad hominem attack, focusing on Sheila’s personal traits.
• How does Gerald react to Sheila's emotional state?


  He sides with Mrs. Birling in attacking Sheila for becoming “hysterical.”
• What does Mrs. Birling symbolize in relation to the suffrage movement?

  She symbolizes the upper classes who resisted the suffrage movement.
• How does Mrs. Birling view the suffrage movement?

  She perceives it as undermining traditional gender roles and the foundation of the family.
• What is Mrs. Birling's conservative view on women's roles?

  She believes women should have moral and domestic roles and exclude themselves from the political realm.
• Why does Mrs. Birling resist changing society?

  Because she is privileged and feels threatened by suffrage.
• How does Priestley present Mrs. Birling's feelings towards her husband's origins?

  She is somewhat ashamed of his lower-class origins and mannerisms.
• How does Mrs. Birling criticize Mr. Birling?

  She reproaches him for saying things he is not supposed to say.
• What does Priestley suggest about the nature of the Birling marriage?

  It is likely arranged and transactional rather than based on love.
• How does Mrs. Birling respond to Sheila's discomfort about Gerald's affair?

  She accepts it as something she will “have to get used to, just as I did.”
• What is the name of Mrs Birling's husband?

  Mr Birling
• What positions did Mr Birling hold?

  He was the Lord Mayor and a business owner
• How does Priestley use Mrs Birling as a symbol in the play?

  Priestley uses Mrs Birling as a symbol for the hypocrisy of the upper-classes and as a demonstration of the need for a welfare state
• How does Priestley describe Mrs Birling in the stage directions?

  Priestley describes Mrs Birling as "about fifty, a rather cold woman"