An inspector calls Arthur Birling Analysis

  In Act 1 Arthur and his family are rather happy due to his daughter, Shiela’s recent engagement. “You ought to like this port, Gerald. As a matter of fact, Finchley told me it’s exactly the same port your father gets from him”. For his soon-to-be son-in-law has come from a very wealthy family and Arthur thinks that if that port  is good enough for Gerald’s father then it must be good for him. He is excited about the marriage because it will be good for the business so that his factory and Gerald’s business could collude. Arthur says that a man “has to look after himself- and his family too” and the fact that he says himself first and his family too second shows the audience how he-being the powerful factory owner he is- prioritizes his duties as a businessman, a husband and a father.

  “A man has to make his own way” this shows that Arthur has worked to get this far in life and wants his business to come even further. Instead of dealing with his family, he would like to take his business to it’s highest peak and nothing (not even the death of an employee) will stand in his way. He also emphasizes his upcoming knighthood quite frequently to brag to Gerald about how successful he is and how good an idea it would be if their two businesses were “working together- for lower cost and higher prices”. Arthur isn’t a very polite man the audience could start to believe this for throughout the whole of Act 1 Arthur never directly says thank you to Edna who is his “parlour maid” whom he treats comparatively badly especially due to how old and weak she is.

  When the “inspector calls” Arthur is the first to doubt his authority as if he was not even an inspector after all. Even when doing this Arthur manages to brag about his years as the Lord Mayor as well as an alderman. Throughout act one, the future (Sir) Arthur Birling ceases to amaze the audience with his endless list of accomplishments however his self-centeredness and choice of business over family can really turn the audience against him into thinking he is a boasting businessman who only cares about business.