Arthur Birling

wealthy factory owner

respectable middle-class life, in an industrial city

Quotes

"hard-header, practical man of business"

Description

heavy-looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties with fairly easy manners but rather provincial in his speech

his upbringing was not as grand as the lifestyle he now has

"good dinner too, Sybil. tell cook from me."

by Mrs Birling, considered to be in bad taste.

lacking appropriate background

//to Gerald// "Lady Croft... feels you might have done better for yourself socially"

Opinion of himself

He might get a knighthood

He was a magistrate

Appearance of respectability matters

his importance has been recognized

"a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own"

he maintains the attitude throughout the play

adamant that he bears no responsibility for Eva's decision to commit suicide

believes that his duty is to keep labour costs down and not to consider the needs of his workers

tries to intimidate the inspector, with his importance.

''Alderman''

''Lord Mayor''

''Magistrate''

''on the bench''

old friend of the chief constable, and they play golf together

designed to influence the inspector's treatment towards the family in its favour

wants to avoid scandal

not affected by death of Eva Smith, but by the fact that his son has been stealing funds from the business

motivated by material things

Audience views

discredited

when he speaks about war or Titanic, the audience knows he's wrong and applies that to his views on socialism

Others' opinions

Eric finds him unapproachable

adds to the unsympathetic view of him

"But the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you'd think everybody has to look after somebody else as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive - community and all that nonsense."

Development.

At the end of the play, he had not developed at all, and remained selfish throughout.