Mrs Birling
DESCRIPTION
She is described by the play-write as " about fifty, a rather cold looking women and her husbands superior"
She thinks of herself as a high class and high status women
She is evidently very snobbish
She two has no concept of value other than wealth and status
She is a social climber
She works for a charity but not out of compassion- she wants to look good
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
By the end of the play she has not changed- like her husband ans as we expect
She refuses to accept responsibility and the inspectors lesson. So set in her selfish ways like her husband
She quickly joins in the cover up and arrogantly declares she was the ‘only one who didn’t give into’ the Inspector.
She is perhaps the most unsympathetic and uncharitable character in the play.
KEY QUOTES; CLASS DIVIDE
"You're behaving like an hysterical child tonight"|Act two
Accusing Shelia of being immature~ she has authority over her as she has wealth and more of a status
"Though naturally i don't know anything about this girl"|Act two
Not taking responsibility
Doesn't want to damage her status, thinking about her class
"But i think she had only herself to blame"|Act two
No sympathy and not accepting responsibility~ she feels superior because of her class
"Girls of that class-" also shows this|Act one
KEY QUOTES; CLASS DIVIDE AND SUPERIORITY
She sees upper class as perfect and is shocked that someone of her status could behave in such a way~ like the working class
"Arthur you're not supposed to say such things"|Act one
Shows her class and that she is superior even over her husband
'It's disgusting to me.' (about Gerald's affair with Eva)|Act two
"[staggered] Well, really! Aldermand Meggarty! I must say, we are learning something tonight"|Act two
She sees it as disgusting that Gerald, who is upper class, would have an affair with Eva, who was working class
'I don't believe it. I won't believe it' |Act two
Naïve and ignorant when she discovers that Eric is the father of the child
Not something a mother should say to her child- reflecting her non-family orientated manor.
"A girl of that short would never refuse money"|Act two
'That sort' is a harsh generalisation of the lower class.
Reader starts to see that she thinks all lower class citizens are liars and criminals (like she thinks Eva is).
No sympathy
Mrs Birling can empathise with Eva because she has never been in her situation.
Sense of irony to reader as she works for a charity
Like her husband the reader can expect her to be an interesting character to follow
Not a cosy family women
Her relationship with him is not on a personal level- suggesting to the reader that she is untrustworthy
This contrasts her husband he thinks it is acceptable
The reader feels sympathy towards Eric as his own mother is refusing to help him with his situation.