Notesale: Turn your study into money

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Analysis of Sybil Birling
Sybil Birling is an unsympathetic woman with some public influence, sitting on
charity organisations and having been married two years ago to the Lord Mayor, Arthur Birling
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Priestley describes her as a "about fifty, a rather cold
woman," and her husband's "social superior
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She is an icily
impressive woman, the only one of all the Birlings to almost resist The Inspector's attempts to
make her realise her responsibilities
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Mrs Birling is a very naive character
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She is quite prepared to put the blame
onto the father of the child because she doesn't know the father is her own son
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The speed at
which she recovers after the inspector leaves reflects her coldness and lack of conscience
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Birling is described as “cold” and Mr
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” Throughout the questioning
process, she resists the Inspector’s inquiries and reminds him, to Sheila’s frustration, of the Birlings’
high social status
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Birling finally admits to having used her influence in
the Women’s Charity Organization to deny aid for Eva Smith because she was prejudiced against her
manner and offended by the girl’s falsely assuming the name “Mrs
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” After the revelations at
the end of the play that the whole inspection was a hoax, Mrs
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And, like her husband, she feels completely
relieved of any responsibility she had felt previously
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She sees the lower class as morally inferior – Priestley hated this kind of attitude and believed that
people with these attitudes had to change if society was going to work
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She played her part in the death of Eva Smith -she turned her away (from her charity) when she
needed help
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Birling thought she was lying, as no girl
“of that sort” would refuse money
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Birling’s character development/changes
She does not change at the end of the play – perhaps therefore “an inspector calls” again, to try and
make her change

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