An Inspector Calls
Characters
Mr Birling
Presented as
1. arrogant, pompous
> making long speeches about his predictions for the future that the
audience would know they were incorrect
> His views of future possibility are shown to be native and with
hindsight, unfounded suggesting that his political and ideological
opinions are flawed
> presented as an unsympathetic character, the audience is not
meant to like him, nor agree with him
- ‘unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’
>repetition
>dramatic irony proves it’s a mistaken view, creates tension
>his confidence is misguided
>titanic is a symbol of arrogance
>foreshadows Birling’s fate
- ‘and I say there isn’t a chance of war. The world’s developing so fast
that it’ll make war impossible’
>thinks there’s no chance of war , repeats his idea when he
considers it as impossible
>his arrogance and complacency are made very clear
>the audience knows that world war one would begin two years
after his speech and seeing that Mr Birling is wrong on this point,
they lose trust in him as a character
2.capitalist, his capitalist viewpoint is shown to be selfish
>he is a business man whose main concern is making money, he
comes across as being greedy
,-‘we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no
longer competing but are working together for lower costs and
higher prices’
>he is driven by money
>he sees his daughter’s engagement as a chance to push for ‘lower
costs and higher prices’ shows how greedy he is
>he does not consider the impact ‘higher price’ might have on
anyone else, he just wants more money
3.stubborn, a snob , makes old fashioned views about women
>makes old fashioned and patronizing points about women
-‘clothes mean something quite different to a woman. Not just
something to wear- and not something to make ‘em look prettier.’
>he is quite sexist by suggesting clothes are more important to
women than men
>the fact that he thinks clothes make them look prettier shows he
objectifies women too
4.possesive
>on a number of occasions Mr Birling refers to things and people as
being ‘his’
-‘is there any reason why my wife should answer questions from
you?’
>emphasis that Sybil is his wife , sees her as a possession, he doesn’t
allow her to talk for herself
-‘ it’s my duty to keep labour costs down’
5.his provincial accent is evidence of his upward social mobility
6.dismissive of other people, self centered
7.narrow minded
8.a dominant and controlling character
, 9.opinionated
10.lack of empathy for the struggle of working class
11.irresponsible, he does not learn his lesson and refuses to accept
responsibility for his part in Eva Smith’s death
-‘ I can’t accept any responsibility’
-‘there will be a public scandal’
Question : how does Priestley present Mr Birling?
Mr Birling shows his arrogance in this speech first by suggesting that it is 'my
duty to keep labour costs down'. The fact that he considers it 'my duty' means
that he sees keeping labour costs down as some sort of noble quest he has
undertaken. Of course, keeping labour costs down increases his own profits.
Next he asks if his answer satisfies the Inspector 'Does that satisfy you? So I
refused', here he does not even wait for the Inspector to respond, he assumes
that he is in the right. 'So I refused' is a short, sharp sentence - here Mr Birling
is being dismissive of the Inspector and his investigation as well as the requests
of his employees. Finally Mr Birling declares that 'It's a free country', meaning
that the girls could work elsewhere. While this might seem like a reasonable
point, it shows that Birling does not understand how hard it is for people like
Eva Smith to find work in the first place.
Characters
Mr Birling
Presented as
1. arrogant, pompous
> making long speeches about his predictions for the future that the
audience would know they were incorrect
> His views of future possibility are shown to be native and with
hindsight, unfounded suggesting that his political and ideological
opinions are flawed
> presented as an unsympathetic character, the audience is not
meant to like him, nor agree with him
- ‘unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable’
>repetition
>dramatic irony proves it’s a mistaken view, creates tension
>his confidence is misguided
>titanic is a symbol of arrogance
>foreshadows Birling’s fate
- ‘and I say there isn’t a chance of war. The world’s developing so fast
that it’ll make war impossible’
>thinks there’s no chance of war , repeats his idea when he
considers it as impossible
>his arrogance and complacency are made very clear
>the audience knows that world war one would begin two years
after his speech and seeing that Mr Birling is wrong on this point,
they lose trust in him as a character
2.capitalist, his capitalist viewpoint is shown to be selfish
>he is a business man whose main concern is making money, he
comes across as being greedy
,-‘we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no
longer competing but are working together for lower costs and
higher prices’
>he is driven by money
>he sees his daughter’s engagement as a chance to push for ‘lower
costs and higher prices’ shows how greedy he is
>he does not consider the impact ‘higher price’ might have on
anyone else, he just wants more money
3.stubborn, a snob , makes old fashioned views about women
>makes old fashioned and patronizing points about women
-‘clothes mean something quite different to a woman. Not just
something to wear- and not something to make ‘em look prettier.’
>he is quite sexist by suggesting clothes are more important to
women than men
>the fact that he thinks clothes make them look prettier shows he
objectifies women too
4.possesive
>on a number of occasions Mr Birling refers to things and people as
being ‘his’
-‘is there any reason why my wife should answer questions from
you?’
>emphasis that Sybil is his wife , sees her as a possession, he doesn’t
allow her to talk for herself
-‘ it’s my duty to keep labour costs down’
5.his provincial accent is evidence of his upward social mobility
6.dismissive of other people, self centered
7.narrow minded
8.a dominant and controlling character
, 9.opinionated
10.lack of empathy for the struggle of working class
11.irresponsible, he does not learn his lesson and refuses to accept
responsibility for his part in Eva Smith’s death
-‘ I can’t accept any responsibility’
-‘there will be a public scandal’
Question : how does Priestley present Mr Birling?
Mr Birling shows his arrogance in this speech first by suggesting that it is 'my
duty to keep labour costs down'. The fact that he considers it 'my duty' means
that he sees keeping labour costs down as some sort of noble quest he has
undertaken. Of course, keeping labour costs down increases his own profits.
Next he asks if his answer satisfies the Inspector 'Does that satisfy you? So I
refused', here he does not even wait for the Inspector to respond, he assumes
that he is in the right. 'So I refused' is a short, sharp sentence - here Mr Birling
is being dismissive of the Inspector and his investigation as well as the requests
of his employees. Finally Mr Birling declares that 'It's a free country', meaning
that the girls could work elsewhere. While this might seem like a reasonable
point, it shows that Birling does not understand how hard it is for people like
Eva Smith to find work in the first place.
