Essay on Mrs Birling in An Inspector Calls

Priestley creates Mrs Birling as an unlikeable character to try and get across the message of the play, that the rich should treat the poor better. He does this by making

Additionally, Mrs Birling is also unlikeable due to her condescending attitude towards the Inspector. Mrs Birling’s dominant role is shown when she is answering to the inspector: ‘what business is it of yours’. Her plain rude attitude ‘prejudices’ the readers against Mrs Birling. Furthermore, Sybil acknowledges that she is too powerful to answer to a man who is questioning her and threatening her status; she assumes that the Inspector is working class (but he represents no class). Concluding that she sees the lower class as morally inferior. Priestly hated this kind of attitude and believed that people had to change if society was going to work. Consequently, the author’s voice came through this extract as he was trying to make a change to humanity in 1946, when social class was vaguely present. Once again, we are shown of Mrs Birling’s high status compared to the Inspector: ‘You have no power to make me change my mind’. The use of the pronoun ‘you’ displays that Mrs Birling actually informs the Inspector that he has no power over her. Her constant

With reference to the ways Russell presents the theme of social class in the extract and elsewhere in the novel in act one, show how far you agree that there is no escape from the effects of social class for the characters in the play.

At the start of the play in an inspector calls by Priestly the Birling family is celebrating happily Sheila’s engagement to Gerald Croft. However the mood changes when Inspector Goole arrives and informs them about the suicide of a young women named Eva smith. Eventually all the characters discover how they all played a part in the death of Eva smith.

Not long ago in the play Sheila could not believe that she has done something so bad: “ (miserably) So am I really responsible?” but afterwards she realizes that it is her fault speaks up “And I know I’m to blame-and I’m desperately sorry.” Now Sheila admits that she is guilty and accepts her fault, as she is completely ready to take full responsibility for her actions. To strengthen the theme of inequality and injustice the playwright shows how even thought not long ago in the paly she has fired a girl from the shop just because she had been “in a bad temper anyhow.”

Priestly uses Mr.Birling’s tendency to dehumanise women and his relationship to show the inequality between men and women in the victorian/edwardian era.“Is there any reason why my wife should answer questions from you,Inspector? … clothes mean something quite different to a woman. Not just something to wear- and not just something to make ‘em look prettier.”The use of the possessive determinator, shows that Mr.Birling treats Mrs.Birling as if she was another one of his personal

J.B Priestley uses the character Sheila to portray his ideas to the audience. One of the author's / playwright’s techniques is the change within Sheila, from a young girl that desires material things to a conscientious and clear headed woman who makes a conscious decision to admit her failings. After the inspector started talking to Sheila, the audience quickly found out that she did actually have a part in the events that lead to the death of Eva Smith / Daisy Renton. Sheila had forced the manager at Millwards to fire Eva / Daisy because she was jealous of how well the dress fitted her. As soon as she admitted to making the manager fire Eva Smith / Daisy Renton she then defended herself by saying, “she was a pretty girl and looked like she

The Importance of Birling's Interaction with the Inspector in Act One of An Inspector Calls

" From the words “wasn’t satisfied” we can infer that she was uninterested in Eva's attempt at lying, which was for her son's benefit, and when Eva reluctantly told the truth, Mrs. Birling was already put off the idea of helping her. This proves once again how selfish Mrs. Birling is. Unless it amuses her, she will not be of assistance which goes against her supposed role. She uses her power to have Eva’s case “removed”, mocking the image of the organisation. However, instead of thinking about the long-term effects, she focuses on the present time.

In this following essay I will discuss who the inspector is and his role in the story. At first appears as a regular police inspector who is however rude and out of line but by the end of the play everything changes. Throughout the play he interrogates the Birlings and the Birlings for a crime they didn't even know they committed. However it is more likely that he is a ghost or a paranormal being or perhaps the voice of the author himself J.B Priestley. I will examine the evidence and come to a conclusion on who is the inspector.

J.B Priestly shows the contrast between the older generations and the younger generations in terms of their views about responsibility. As Sheila and Eric are the youngest characters, they both accept they had a part to play in Eva's death and clearly regret their actions. Priestly shows this through their words and stage directions. Sheila says " I behaved badly … I'm ashamed of it" (as if she's been crying), whilst Eric says "you lot maybe letting yourselves out nicely but I can't. Nor can mother. We did her in alright." This shows neither of them changes their views even when it becomes apparent that Inspector Goole wasn't a real inspector. Eric becomes frustrated when Mr And Mrs Birling refuses to accept that they are even partly to blame

Priestley presents Inspector Goole as an outsider, whose presence creates an air of uncertainty in the Birling household. This is evident in Sheila’s quote, “I have an idea – and I had it all along vaguely – that there was something curious about him.” Sheila becomes suspicious of the Inspector, since she feels that he appears to know an extraordinary amount of details about themselves and Eva Smith. Priestley designs the Inspector, as a supernatural being, sent to teach the Birling’s a lesson and to make them understand their individual actions all lead to Eva Smith’s death. Priestley uses a homophone for the Inspector’s name, to subliminally tell the audience that Inspector Goole is in fact a ghoul. It’s not until the end of the play when

Throughout the story, Sheila can be characterized as selfish and (SOMETHING). First, Sheila can be described as selfish for many reasons. She does not seem to care at all about the boy’s feelings. She never thinks about what she says and how it may affect him. When he shows off by showing his fishing knowledge she says “I think fishing is dumb, I mean, it’s boring and all. Definitely dumb.” (W. D. Wetherell 3). She just stomps on one of his favorite things, even after he showed her how much he knew and how much it meant to him. She just did not care, to her, he was just “another boy”. She also constantly complains about everything that he is doing. Nothing is good enough for her, she is just the center of the world. She always is talking about

Class bias determines attitude of people to social relations and culture (Bryant-Bertail, 2). The character of Betty was brought up in a Victorian era where proper upper class women were objects intended to please their respective men; their function was to be pleasing and reproductive, not to think. In the second act of the play Betty shows how her attitude toward women has been skewed by her Victorian upbringing in a conversation she has with Lin:

The interchange between language and social class can be symbolized through Shaw’s characters. The author uses different characters to portray different aspects of class divisions. England’s social class, as a major theme, was clarified greatly through the art of speech. Throughout most of civilization, people have been divided in classes. There is the rich and powerful, the middle class who are less powerful but nonetheless respected, and the incapable poor. The author cleverly bestows his characters’ their own identity, by giving each a language and speech that suits their bubble of reality: their own social class. Shaw depicts members of all social classes, the lowest being Liza, known for her London’s working class cockney accent.