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Sybil Birling
® Mrs Birling has public influence as she sits on the council for charity
organisations. Priestly uses her as a symbol for the hypocrisy (claiming
to have higher standards or more noble beliefs then is the case) of
the upper-classes and as a demonstration for the need of a welfare
state.
® Mrs Birling is ‘about fifty, a rather cold woman’[SD] which ironically
contrasts her job and reveals her unsympathetic and individualistic
nature. She’s also described as being her husbands ‘social
superior’[SD] therefore belonging to an upper-class family. Mrs Birling
represents the selfish nature of the upper classes, their privilege and
prejudices and she sees the working class as inferior to her
® Mrs Birling abuses her power, presenting her as immoral. Priestly implies
that the source of poverty stems from the avarice (greedy) desire and
immorality from the upper class as demonstrated when Eva rejects
money from Eric, and instead goes to Mrs Birling’s charity, but is still
ironically stereotyped by Mrs Birling as greedy. Priestly conveys the
idea to the audience that exploitation of the lower class is the reason
why the poor are reliant on aid and charity, and they can’t help
themselves as they have no power or influence
KEY POINTS:
Complicit in her own Oppression:
® An inspector calls accurately displays domestic life in 20th century, as
the inequality between men and women is conveyed through a lack
of reluctance to disagree with her husband. At the time in 1912 it
would’ve been typical for women to leave the drawing room after
dinner and allow the men to discuss worldly affairs and politics as
these weren’t considered suitable topics for women.
® Note Mr Birling never asks her to leave, she willingly tells Sheila to
‘leave you men’ showing Mrs Birling’s commitment to maintain the
patriarchal status and this allows her to become complicit in her own
oppression which she inflicts upon her daughter.
® The reason for this is because Mrs Birling grew up in a upper class
home and so this would’ve been inflicted on her and now as times
change she also upholds the patriarchy.
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