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This business employs several girls to work on (presumably sewing) machines. Mr Birling is also a Magistrate and was Lord Mayor of Brumley two years ago. Arthur is the husband of Sybil Birling (Mrs Birling) and father of Sheila and Eric Birling. J. B. Priestley also describes him clearly. Mr Birling is a "heavy-looking man" in his mid-50s with ...
- GCSE English Literature
Sheila Birling Quotes and Notes Inspector Goole Quotes and...
- Mrs Birling
Many of these quotes, similar to Mr Birling, portray Mrs...
- GCSE English Literature
Mr Birling is the head of the Birling household. He has made himself very wealthy by being a 'hard-headed' business man . He is an active member of the community in Brumley and thinks that he ...
Mr Birling is obsessed with his future knighthood, as he feels that this will increase his social status and make him look great among his upper-class peers. Unwilling to change or learn from actions When the family discover that Inspector Goole does not work for the local police force, Birling is very happy to forget the whole thing and to forget any possible consequences of his actions.
- Quotes: ‘Now you have brought us together, and perhaps we may look forward to a time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together – for lower costs and higher prices. ’
- Quotes: There's a good deal of silly talk about these days – but – and I speak as a hard-headed business man, who has to take risks and know what he's about – I say, you can ignore all this silly pessimistic talk.
- Quotes: ‘Fiddlesticks! The Germans don’t want war. Nobody wants war... And why? There's too much at stake these days.
- Quotes: And I’m taking as a hard headed, practical man of business. And I say there isn't a chance of war.
It’s important to have a sense of the character Mr Birling as a whole, in order to have a greater understanding of the play. Arthur Birling is firmly entrenched within 1912 ante-bellum. (means before the war) English social elite. The play is set just before the outbreak of World War One and within the extravagant Birling household.
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This quotation highlights Mr Birling as the patriarchal (male ruling) head of his household. Mr Birling assumes a protective role over his wife. He tries to defend her while treating her as if she cannot defend herself. This power struggle returns between the two men, while Mrs Birling is not directly addressed, even though the conversation is ...
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Mr Birling, as an older man, assumes that the younger generation are stupid. (3) "a man has to make his own way - has to look after himself" - Mr Birling shows that he is arrogant and selfish ...
