Priestley, in the didactic play An Inspector Calls, presents Mrs Birling as unlikeable and cruel.
However, he does allow the audience for some small moments to feel sympathy for her. Mrs Birling is
used by Priestley as a construct for the oppressive and indifferent nature of the upper class, especially
the older generation of the upper class, to criticise Capitalism and patriarchy, and its effect on working
class women.
Priestley introduces the character of Mrs Birling in the stage directions, to set a precedent for her
“cold” and cruel nature. The fact that she is referred to as a “cold woman” juxtaposes her natural
maternal role, which requires a warm, loving and caring personality. Already, Priestley has displayed
Mrs Birling in an unlikeable manner, as his contemporary audience of Edwardian patriarchs would
have expected a woman like Mrs Birling to assume a more feminine role in the Birling family. However,
Priestley may be criticising patriarchy itself instead of Mrs Birling. As a woman in a patriarchy, Mrs
Birling had a lack of power and influence, be it on a familial or a political level (since women could not
vote during the time An Inspector Calls is set). This powerlessness clearly explains how the
dominance of masculine figures around her, such as Mr Birling, have caused Mrs Birling to also seek
masculine characteristics as a way to at least have a level of authority and significance within her own
household, hence her “cold” nature. It is for this reason that Priestley introduces Mrs Birling in the
stage directions as a “cold woman”, criticising both her character and patriarchy.
Furthermore, Priestely partially presents Mrs Birling as a victimised character through her
conservation with Sheila Birling. When Sheila complains about Gerald avoiding her over the summer,
Mrs Birling remarks that men must “spend all their time and energy on their business”. The ambiguity
of the noun “business” implies that Gerald had just been focussed on his company, but had also
possibly indulged in nefarious activities, such as acts of infidelity. These possibilities cause the
contemporary audience to feel sympathy for Mrs Birling, who seems to have endured the same
behaviour from her husband Mr Birling. There is a cyclical structure between the emotional pain faced
by Mrs Birling at her husband’s possible infidelity, and the emotional pain Sheila is also about to face
due to Gerald’s affair. Priestley has thus criticised the recklessness of patriarchal men such as Mr
Birling and Gerald Croft, as they manipulate and take advantage of powerless women, even their own
wives, to satisfy their own dark desires. Priestley uses the defeated and desensitised state of Mrs
Birling, who is used to being manipulated in this manner, to advocate for socialism and greater
equality between men and women.
However, he does allow the audience for some small moments to feel sympathy for her. Mrs Birling is
used by Priestley as a construct for the oppressive and indifferent nature of the upper class, especially
the older generation of the upper class, to criticise Capitalism and patriarchy, and its effect on working
class women.
Priestley introduces the character of Mrs Birling in the stage directions, to set a precedent for her
“cold” and cruel nature. The fact that she is referred to as a “cold woman” juxtaposes her natural
maternal role, which requires a warm, loving and caring personality. Already, Priestley has displayed
Mrs Birling in an unlikeable manner, as his contemporary audience of Edwardian patriarchs would
have expected a woman like Mrs Birling to assume a more feminine role in the Birling family. However,
Priestley may be criticising patriarchy itself instead of Mrs Birling. As a woman in a patriarchy, Mrs
Birling had a lack of power and influence, be it on a familial or a political level (since women could not
vote during the time An Inspector Calls is set). This powerlessness clearly explains how the
dominance of masculine figures around her, such as Mr Birling, have caused Mrs Birling to also seek
masculine characteristics as a way to at least have a level of authority and significance within her own
household, hence her “cold” nature. It is for this reason that Priestley introduces Mrs Birling in the
stage directions as a “cold woman”, criticising both her character and patriarchy.
Furthermore, Priestely partially presents Mrs Birling as a victimised character through her
conservation with Sheila Birling. When Sheila complains about Gerald avoiding her over the summer,
Mrs Birling remarks that men must “spend all their time and energy on their business”. The ambiguity
of the noun “business” implies that Gerald had just been focussed on his company, but had also
possibly indulged in nefarious activities, such as acts of infidelity. These possibilities cause the
contemporary audience to feel sympathy for Mrs Birling, who seems to have endured the same
behaviour from her husband Mr Birling. There is a cyclical structure between the emotional pain faced
by Mrs Birling at her husband’s possible infidelity, and the emotional pain Sheila is also about to face
due to Gerald’s affair. Priestley has thus criticised the recklessness of patriarchal men such as Mr
Birling and Gerald Croft, as they manipulate and take advantage of powerless women, even their own
wives, to satisfy their own dark desires. Priestley uses the defeated and desensitised state of Mrs
Birling, who is used to being manipulated in this manner, to advocate for socialism and greater
equality between men and women.
