An Inspector Calls: Mrs Birlings Flashcards
(8 cards)
“She had only herself to blame”
Responsibility - Mrs Birling takes the view that suicide is a conscious choice and therefore Eva can only blame herself for taking her own life.
“Firstly I blame the girl herself. Secondly I blame the young man”
Responsibility - Unable to accept any responsibility as she deflects any responsibility onto Eric inadvertently, Yet her hypocrisy is further revealed when she realises and states “ I didn’t know.” Implying that she wouldn’t have placed blame on her son for same action
“[With dignity] We’ve done a great deal of useful work helping deserving cases”
Pride - Emphasis on the adjective “Deserving” reveals Mrs Birling’s joy in playing God in these young women’s lives, deciding whether they receive aid and benefit or are refused and suffer, reflection of power of the upper classes
“The rude way he spoke… it was quite extraordinary!”
Pride - Priestley’s use of the adjective “Rude” reveals Mrs Birling’s perception of the inspector as disrespectful. In doing so she attempts to undermine his authority, devalidating his argument meaning they don’t have to take responsibilities for their actions
“Her husband’s social superior”
Class - Mrs Birling is as Priestley describes her in the stage directions her husband’s “ social superior” therefore her upper class social etiquette and mannerisms aren’t natural to Mr Birling and we see that this causes embarrassment to Mrs Birling; image, the way they are perceived by others is everything.
“Disgusting Affair”
Class - Mrs Birling is more critical of Gerald’s affair with Eva due to its inter-class nature than out of loyalty to Sheila. Her use of “Girls of that class” reveals deep-rooted class prejudice. The determiner “that” shows her contempt for the working class, highlighting the rigid social divide in early 20th century Britain.
“A rather cold woman”
Empathy - Priestley describes Mrs Birling as a “cold woman” in the stage directions, which would have been seen as an oxymoron at the time. Society expected women to be warm, maternal, and emotional. Her emotional detachment highlights how unnatural and inhumane her lack of compassion is, reinforcing Priestley’s critique of the upper class’s indifference to suffering.
“Claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples.”
Mrs Birling perceives the working class as being less human, with less complex emotions, and feels that it is inappropriate for Eva to behave in a way that doesn’t conform to her expectations of her class
