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Mrs Birling Essay - Grade 9 - AN INSPECTOR CALLS
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A grade 9 essay on the character of Mrs Birling from the play An Inspector Calls. Marked by 3 professionals.
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An Inspector CallsYou are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this question. You should use the
extract on the opposite page and your knowledge of the whole play to answer this
question.
Write about Mrs Birling and how she is presented at different points in the play.
In your response you should:
• refer to the extract and the play as a whole
• show your understanding of characters and events in the play
[40]
5 of this question’s marks are allocated for accuracy in spelling, punctuation and the
use of vocabulary and sentence structures.
Mrs Birling is an elitist, dismissive and injudicious character used by Priestley as a dramatic
vehicle to criticise capitalism, the arrogance of the upper classes and the ignorance of the
elder generation. Priestley deliberately presents her as a morally inferior and detestable
character in order to encourage the audience to dislike her elitist values. Through his
negative portrayal of Mrs Birling, Priestley intends for us, as the audience, to reflect on our
own behaviours in the hope that this will create a more caring and equal society in which
everyone acknowledges that “we are members of one body”.
Priestley’s initial presentation of Mrs Birling is unfavourable from the offset. Before the scene
begins we can tell from Mrs Birling’s description in the stage directions of being “cold” that
she won’t be a likeable person. The adjective ‘cold’ connotes a sense of callousness and
perhaps foreshadows her later unsympathetic ways. Sybil is also described as “her
husband’s social superior” which implies she may feel her family and others are inferior in
some ways which later find to be true when she berates them for their lack of etiquette. Mr
Birling asks Edna to “tell cook from me” that the dinner was very nice, to which Mrs Birling
responds (reproachfully) “Arthur, you’re not supposed to say such things-”. Mrs Birling views
it unacceptable for the lower class workers like the cook or the maid Edna, to be engaged
with or to be mentioned. It is likely she disapproves of her husband’s slang too when he
says, “tell cook” missing the article ‘the’. Mrs Birling continues with her lectures in etiquette
when she says “what an expression, Sheila! Really the things you girls pick up these days!”
in response to Sheila calling Eric “squiffy”. This quote shows Mrs Birling to be unfavourable
with the use of slang like ‘squiffy’ and foreshadows her narrow, patronising views later on in
the play as she uses the phrase “you girls” almost like she belittles the youth and feels they
are silly. Here I believe Priestley intended to show the audience that Mrs Birling was very
judging, orthodox and conceited through how she takes pride in her etiquette-conscious
behaviour and seeks to encourage her family into acting in the same polite, appropriate
manner. This appeal allows the audience to witness a sense of the superiority Mrs Birling
feels and permits them to grasp an initial impression of what type of person she will be.
Mrs Birling is presented as having traditionally elitist views throughout the play. This is
emphasised when Mrs Birling arrogantly asserts “as if a girl of that sort would ever refuse
money!”. Mrs Birling’s prejudicial attitude towards the lower classes is highlighted strongly
here as she refers to Eva Smith as a “girl of that sort”. By grouping all girls of the lower class
together and implying they are all desperate and have no morals, Mrs Birling creates a
massive generalisation of the class. This emphasises her lack of understanding and
sympathy and portrays her to almost dehumanise Eva Smith. This is not the only time Mrs
Birling uses terms like this, she also says “girls of that class” and “the type” which shows she
is continually degrading them as if it is human nature to her. This derogatory comment also
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