Selfish - Only cares about his business
relations with Gerald rather than his
daughters' engagement party
He tries to keep good
relations with Gerald.
He believes that he is the
biggest role in society.
"might find a way onto the Honours
list. Just a knighthood of course."
(Pg8)
Priestley uses Mr Birling as the
"Capitalist" character. When making
him describe Eva Smith as poor and
refusing to give pay rises.
"There's a lot of wild talk
about possible Labour trouble"
(Pg.6)
This shows that Priestly is
present Birling as a capatilist as
he describes labour as trouble.
"It has nothing to do with
the wretched girl's suicide"
(Pg.13)
Head of House - Most men of his age would
have been the head of house as they are
strongest and normally bringing in most income.
MRS BIRLING
Controls Mr Birling when he steps out
of line, mainly when talking to the
inspector or when talking to their kids.
Acts fragile despite being shown as a strong women.
She represents a typically high class women of the era.
She is a typical captatlist person.
"Arthur, your'e not supposed to say such things"
(Pg.2)
This shows that Mrs Birling displays
how the upper classed are supposed
to treat lower classed people.
Mrs Birling shows us what a typical women
would be like, She demostrates that men are
higher when using stagecraft of her leaving.
"Men with important work to do sometimes have to
spend nearly all their time and energy on their business."
(Pg.3)
Priestly presents Mrs Birling
women in the time. He uses contest
to show the role of the woman.
SHELIA
Spoiled - Mainly within the Act 1, she boasts
about her ring then when reviewing Eva Smith's
story we learn that she got her fired by jealousy.
"Oh - It's wonderful! Look -
Mummy - isn't it a beauty?"
(Pg.5)
Throughout the rest of the play she
symphosis and understands the story of
Eva Smith better than everyone.
In Act 1 she is displayed as
rude and abrupt and wouldn't
drop subjects relating to
Gerlad. She seems to team up
with her mum (Mums girl)
"Except for all last summer,
when you never came near me"
(Pg.3)
Throughout the play Shelia develops
the most. At the start she is
presented as snobby and centre of
attention however as she learns
about Eva Smith, she becomes more
aware of how are actions can affect
peoples lives.
ERIC
Priestly presents Eric as drunk for most of the play
and makes us understand why he has such drinking
problems with Eva Smith being pregnant.
Younger character that
changes throughout the
inspectors appearance.
He feels more guilty for
her death as he had
connections with her.
This is shown via
actions. Eric runs out
of the house before
returning at the exact
moment when the
inspector knows what
has happened to him.
He keeps
expressing his
opinions, however
this could link to
him being drunk.
"All the Best! She's got a
nasty temper sometimes"
(Pg.5)
He is still treated like a
kid by Mr Birling.
"Eric: Is that why she
commited suicide? When
was this Father? Mr
Birling: Just keep quiet,
Eric, and don't get excited!"
(Pg.13)
GERALD CROFT
Laid back and fits into the
family despite the class change.
In Act One, Dramatic Irony is
used when Shelia is questioning
Gerald about last Summer.
He is a business
man like Mr Birling.
He gave Daisy (Eva) a home
through the summer that Shelia
claims she never saw any of him.
He seems the most
carm and doesn't
do Eva much harm,
he cared for her.
Priestly uses Entrances and Exits to develop the
play. When Gerald exits the story with Inspector
goes on however when Gerald comes back, he
starts a the plot twist of there not being a Eva
Smith and all photos being different.
INSPECTOR
Tall and comes across
as a dark figure.
Stage directions describe the
inspectors appearance on stage.
"The inspector enters, and Edna Goes,
closing the door after her. The inspector
need not be a big man but h creates at
once an impression of massiveness,
solidity and purposefulness. He is a man
in his 50's, dressed in a plain darkish suit
of the period/ He speaks carefully,
wrightily, and has a disconcerning habit
of looking hard at the person he
addresses before actually speaking."
(Pg11)
EVA SMITH (...)
Dead via suicide. By drinking bleach.
She was discharged for wanting more pay at Birlings
work. Then she was fired from her job at Millwalds
(Clothes Store) for laughing at Shelia. She then had
Gerald save her and make her his mistress. Eric then
has sexual relations then finds out that she is
pregnant before she got turned down by help as Mrs
Birling didn't believe her story.
Smith is a common
name in England.
This shows that Priestly is comparing Eva Smith to
a common person, in other words saying that she
is working class instead of the Birlings' high class
attitudes.