Mrs Birling Analysis
Priestly uses Mrs. Birling’s character to represent snobby rich people of the era and makes use of language, form and structure to develop her character throughout the course of Act II.
Mrs. Birling, right off the back, gives the audience an impression of ‘a classic snob’. She thinks she is morally and socially superior and tries to show this on several occasions. ‘I don’t suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class-’, ‘As if a girl of that sort would refuse money.’ She is very well-aware of the differences between social classes. Another example of this, although not in Act II, is when she gets irritated at Mr. Birling for praising the cook which for her is probably a social mistake. …show more content…
Birling is telling her part of the story, she refuses to take responsibility and blames others. ‘Mrs Birling: (agitated now) Oh, stop it, both of you. And please remember before you start accusing me of anything again that it wasn't I who had her turned out of her employment – which probably began it all.’ ‘Mrs Birling: ... Simply because I've done nothing wrong – and you know it.’ ‘... But I accept no blame for it at all.’ All of this shows that she is unapologetic for what she has done and accepts no responsibility for her actions. She blames others instead.
The general form and structure of the play enhances Mrs. Birling’s character to an extent. By placing her second last in the line of enquiry, the impact of her actions is greater on the victim than other characters. She enters amidst a dramatic pause, when Sheila is trying to examine the Inspector, ‘…I don’t understand about you...’ to which the Inspector says, ‘There’s no reason why you should’. This adds on to the audience’s curiosity making them think what’s to come.
All in all, Priestly presents Mrs. Birling as a cold, self-absorbed, patronising, rich woman of the era, who sees the lower class as morally inferior. She is unremorseful and impenitent for what happened to Eva Smith and despite playing a part in her death refuses to take any responsibilities for her actions and blames others instead. She is very mindful of how the society views her and has a very vile
Mrs. Birling, right off the back, gives the audience an impression of ‘a classic snob’. She thinks she is morally and socially superior and tries to show this on several occasions. ‘I don’t suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class-’, ‘As if a girl of that sort would refuse money.’ She is very well-aware of the differences between social classes. Another example of this, although not in Act II, is when she gets irritated at Mr. Birling for praising the cook which for her is probably a social mistake. …show more content…
Birling is telling her part of the story, she refuses to take responsibility and blames others. ‘Mrs Birling: (agitated now) Oh, stop it, both of you. And please remember before you start accusing me of anything again that it wasn't I who had her turned out of her employment – which probably began it all.’ ‘Mrs Birling: ... Simply because I've done nothing wrong – and you know it.’ ‘... But I accept no blame for it at all.’ All of this shows that she is unapologetic for what she has done and accepts no responsibility for her actions. She blames others instead.
The general form and structure of the play enhances Mrs. Birling’s character to an extent. By placing her second last in the line of enquiry, the impact of her actions is greater on the victim than other characters. She enters amidst a dramatic pause, when Sheila is trying to examine the Inspector, ‘…I don’t understand about you...’ to which the Inspector says, ‘There’s no reason why you should’. This adds on to the audience’s curiosity making them think what’s to come.
All in all, Priestly presents Mrs. Birling as a cold, self-absorbed, patronising, rich woman of the era, who sees the lower class as morally inferior. She is unremorseful and impenitent for what happened to Eva Smith and despite playing a part in her death refuses to take any responsibilities for her actions and blames others instead. She is very mindful of how the society views her and has a very vile