"An Inspector Calls" - character study of Mr Birling

should be brighter and harder.” The intimate lighting would lead the audience into the false pretences that the family is close, loving and passionate, when really they are quite a cruel and cold hearted family. The effect of the lighting getting harder, to the audience, is quite un-conscious, as the lighting gets sharper it creates tension. It could also be interpreted as the inspector shining light on their sins!The play introduces many of the themes, ideas, views and opinions that were around at this point in history. Power comes into the play quite early on when the inspector arrives and Mr Birling greets him by asking “How do you get with our Chief Constable Colonel Roberts?” (Act 1, Page 16) this is Mr Birling immediately imposing his power and authority on the inspector. Society, is present through out the play with Mr and Mrs Birling constantly using their social status to crawl away from the pointing figure, for example, when Mr Birling threatens to report the inspector for even dreaming that he had something to do with Eva’s death. How could someone as important as him commit a crime?! Responsibility, Sheila has the biggest sense of responsibility in the play, she is the only one who accepts what she has done, eventually so does Eric, but the others are too stuck up and stubborn to realise how selfish and malevolent they have been. Community also features in the play, Mr Birling believes that he is a valued member on community, he believes this so strongly that he is sure he is going to get a knighthood, “there's a good chance that I might find my way into the next Honours List. Just a knighthood of course.” (Act 1, Page 8). Respectability and Social hierarchy are both themes associated with Mr Birling in the play.Priestly portrays Mr Birling as wealthy local man of the community. He is described as a “ heavy looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties with easy manners but rather provincial in his speech.” From his engagement speech we can tell that his business is an issue very close to his heart and he will proudly include this into every area of his life that is deemed possible. Birling is very pleased with his social standing and takes no time in letting everyone know this. Being the head of the family Mr Birling passes around the port decanter, and takes no hesitation in letting Gerald know that it is the same port that his dad drinks, wanting Gerald to think that he is as high class as Mr Croft, but the audience know that he is just a fraud and a wannabe! This proves that Mr Birling will do anything to make people think that he is classy, wealthy and respectable, to the audience this could be seen as a foolish and rather arrogant, childish thing to do.Mr Birling is involved in local politics having been “an alderman for years and Lord Mayor two years ago,” he is also “still on the bench” (Act 1, Page 11) and he claims to know the Brumley police officers pretty well. Here again he is imposing his authority. Mr Birling describes himself as “hard-headed business man” and “a hard-headed, practical man of business.” This is he again forcing his business into all aspects of conversation. Mr Birling is constantly trying to live up to the standards of Sir George and Lady Croft, buying the same Port, and then by trying for a knighthood. I think of Mr Birling as a foolish, childish man, who needs to get a grip on life and work out his priorities, by the end of the play I think this is clear, and I think Sheila feels the same. From the conversation at the dinner table on page 2 we can clearly tell that Mr and Mrs Birling are from two socially different backgrounds. Mr Birling married into the social standing by marrying Mrs Birling. Mr Birling has to show of his wealth by talking about the port “You ought to like this port, Gerald. As a matter of fact, Finchley told me it’s exactly the same port as your father.” (Act 1, Page 2). Where as Mrs Birling is confident and does not need to impel her social class in everyone's faces constantly. Talking to Edna (the maid) is second nature to Mrs Birling; “I’ll ring from the drawing-room when we want our coffee.” (Act 1, Page 2), where as Mr Birling seems to talk patronisingly to her, as if he is not used to being waited upon, “giving us the port, Edna? That’s right.” (Act 1, Page 2), saying “That’s right” as if she was a child. Mrs Birling also seems used to that fact that “men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business”, she was bought up with this view coming from a socially high class family. Mr Birlings scrutiny of his own importance leads him to try and use his social status to intimidate the inspector, “I was an alderman for years and Lord Mayor two years ago-and I’m still on the bench” (Act 1, Page 11), he is quite put out when the inspector just simply disregards it! His own importance also leads him to impose his will and authority on Eric and Sheila, “Nothing to do with you, Sheila. Run along now.” (Act 1, Page 17). He is so obsessed with his self importance that when the full extent of the scandal is revealed, he is only concerned about how this will affect his chance of a knighthood, (to Eric) “You! You don’t care about anything. But I care. I was almost certain for a knighthood in the next honours.” (Act 3, Page 57)The engagement speech made by Mr Birling reveals a lot about him. Instead of making the normal loving speech a father makes about how happy he hopes the two of them will be, he goes of on a tangent waffling about how profitable How it will unit the Crofts and Birlings in one business. He sees this wedding as more of a boost to his business than a happy occasion. He explains how Gerald is the kind of son in-law that he has always wanted, why is this? Because he would be gaining more social status through marriage again! He is already got big ideas of how “Crofts Limited” and “Birling and Company” can “look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together-for lower cost s and higher prices.” (Act 1, Page 4)This is again revealing the selfish side of Mr Birling, not caring about his daughter, just the profits she could get for him. Even Mrs Birling thinks this is quite un-appropriate, “Now, Arthur, I don’t think you ought to talk business on an occasion like this.” (Act 1, Page 4). Priestly describes Mr Birlings mode of speech as, “rather provincial” (Act 1, Page 1). He quite often talks in a bullying and forceful tone, especially to Sheila and Eric. This is what he thought was expected of an Edwardian, middle-class, “hard-headed business man” (Act 1, Page 6), but his manner is not overly convincing. His monotonous mentioning of his knighthood and the patronizing manner of which he speaks to Edna, are not keeping with the correct behaviour, they indicate that he is arrogant and pompous.Mr. Birlings illusions of the war and the Titanic, on pages 7 and 9 prove that he is not quite as clever as he looks. “Germans don’t want war. Nobody wants war except some half-civilized folks in the Balkans. And why? There’s too much at stake these days. Everything to loose and nothing to gain by war”, “The Titanic she sails next week-forty six thousand tons-New York in five days and every luxury-and unsinkable”. The play was set before the war, but was published after, so the audience know that Mr. Birling is completely wrong about the war and the Titanic. This would cause amusement and also show Mr. Birling to be the fool, as Priestley may well have intended.Mr Birling shows little awareness of the changing world around him, he is very much complacent and professes outdated opinions. He comes across as inadequate to confront the demands of the modernising world, unlike the rest of the world he seems quite content living in the old class system, to which he claims (rather falsely) to belong to. When he is talking to Gerald, it is clear that his opinions are outdated, “I have an idea that your mother - Lady croft - while she doesn’t object to my girl - feels you might have done better for yourself socially-”, this shows that he still believes marriage should only be to marry into a higher social ranking, and not just because of love, if you’re not going to gain any money or status out of it, then what's the point? A very foolish, childish and arrogant view.When Mr Birlings tells Gerald how he has “a fair chance” that he could be on the “next honours list” (Act 1, Page 8), Gerald reacts with quite an unsure “oh - I say - congratulations!”, the pauses between each word shows that he says it in a slow and un-easy manner, I think this is because he is not used to grown men bragging about their ambitions as this is not a very classy thing to do, more complacent and ignorant, which fits in with Mr Birling perfectly. It then states in the stage directions that he “laughs complacently” (Act 1 ,Page 8), which again ties in wholly with the whole of Mr Birlings mode.He is an old fashioned believer, he believes “that a man has to make his own way” (Act 1, Page 9). He does believe in “community and all that nonsense.” He believes that each man should be self confessed and seek no help, but everyone needs help occasionally so this is an arrogant and foolish statement. When Edna informs Mr Birling that “an inspector’s called”, he ask her to “give us more light”, (Act 1, Page 10). This change in lighting creates tension, because it is such a dramatic change from the “pink and intimate” lighting, this bright, distant illumination, lets the audience immediately know that this is a twist in the plot, and look forward to something exciting happening. When Mr Birling initially hears that “an inspector’s called”, he assumes that it is some thing to do with a warrant because he is still on the bench, he would not dare think that he was the one actually in trouble. The arrival of the inspector creates tension, and because we already know a certain amount about Mr Birlings philosophies we can be sure that it is not the reason he has suspected, since he has been wrong about most things so far. Even when introducing himself to the inspector he manages to fit in a few sentences about his status!On page 10, the inspector arrives. The inspector begins with explaining to Mr Birling, Eric and Gerald that “Two hours ago a young woman dies on the infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon because she swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant.” (Act 1, Page 11) Mr Birling responds quite cold heartedly by saying rather impatiently, “Yes, yes. Horrid business. But I don’t understand why you should come here.” (Act 1, Page 12) By mentioning “Horrid business” he is till sneaking business into every available recluse in conversation. He does not care that a girl has just died, he is just impatient and callous. This reaction reveals further to the audience what sort of man Mr Birling is.