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How far does Priestley present Mrs Birling as an unlikeable character?


Mrs. Birling is consistently portrayed throughout the play as a selfish individual belonging to the wealthy side of the world. Her capitalist values and ignorant outlook on life make her an unpopular character among the audience. It is suggested that her character represents the upper-class women of society that Priestley to portray as the main downfall of society.

Throughout the play, Mrs. Birling is portrayed by Priestley as an selfish character whose rigid mindset makes it difficult for her to take responsibility for her actions. Her tendency to blame others for her own reasons to acknowledge her family's behavior indicate that her outlook on life is deeply delusional.she was unaware of her son Eric's drinking problem and the family's involvement in Eva's death. During the Inspector's interrogation, Mrs. Birling firmly believes that the "father of the child" should be punished and blames the young man for Eva's death, not realising that she is actually talking about her own son. This is an example of her efforts to avoid taking responsibility for her actions. Furthermore, she refused to assist Eva when she came to her charity for help, which suggests that she not only played a role in the girl's death but also that of her own grandchild. Despite being presented with this information, Mrs. Birling refuses to accept blame and insists that Eva has "no one to blame but herself."Mrs. Birling's arrogant and selfish behaviour continues until the play's end in which Priestley's belief that the upper and middle classes need to alter their attitudes for society to be fairer and more equal. This is the main reason why Priestley wanted to show to the audience, a fair equal world where justice always prevails.


Nonetheless being delusional to of her hypocritical views and ignoring her own family mistakes in life is bad, she tries to manipulates her own child,sheila,. that her being humiliated by gerald for not being faithful to her; betraying their trust to each other making sheila feel a scene of guilt that it was her, the reason of Gerald being unfaithful will utmost definitely make her feel insecure. This is supported by the quote “ you will used to, just as i did” she provides no comfort to her daughter when she is feeling insecure about gearlds affair, instead just withstand the patriarchal norm of 1900 society by telling “to get used that“ this represents the double standards women had to face back in the day.while men were not condemned for have sex outside of marriage men were shunned from society like a rag doll.


Putting everything together you can conclude that Mrs. Birling's character was a warning to the audience about the negative consequences of selfishness and an unwillingness to acknowledge one's mistakes. priestly advocate for a fair and equality in society where justice always prevails, and it is up to the upper classes to change their attitudes to make this a reality.