'An Inspector Calls': Mr Birling Character Analysis (animated)

Summary

This video analyzes Mr. Birling's character in J.B. Priestley's play 'An Inspector Calls,' highlighting how small details like his preference for expensive port reflect his social aspirations. The video discusses Birling's flawed capitalist ideology, emphasizing his obsession with wealth over people, as seen in his dismissal of social responsibility. Through dramatic irony, Priestley portrays Birling as out of touch and misguided, contrasting his views with the more progressive younger generation. The video underlines how Birling's unchanged nature by the play's end reinforces Priestley's critique of capitalism and the older generation.

Takeaways

• 🎭 J.B. Priestley highlights the significance of small details in theater, where everything down to furnishings carries meaning.
• 🍷 The use of port in the opening dialogue of *An Inspector Calls* signifies wealth, as it was a luxury item, showing Mr. Birling's desire to impress.
• 📜 Mr. Birling's name-dropping of 'Finchley' is a tactic to impress Gerald, who belongs to a higher social class, showcasing Birling's aspirations.
• 💼 Mr. Birling's speech at the engagement meal focuses on economics and self-interest rather than family or love, revealing his materialistic mindset.
• 💰 Mr. Birling embodies the capitalist ideology, where profit is prioritized over the well-being of others, as seen in his lack of empathy for the exploited workers like Eva Smith.
• 🤦‍♂️ Priestley uses dramatic irony to portray Mr. Birling as misguided, with his flawed predictions about war, the Titanic, and the economy undermining his authority.
• 🚢 Mr. Birling’s misplaced confidence in the unsinkability of the Titanic and the impossibility of war highlights his ignorance, making his views on business equally suspect.
• 🧒 The generational contrast in the play illustrates how the younger Birlings are more open to change and social responsibility, unlike their rigid father.
• 💸 Even after his son Eric's misdeeds, Mr. Birling remains primarily concerned with financial loss rather than the family issues or Eric's alcoholism.
• 🔄 Mr. Birling fails to evolve throughout the play, as he ends with the same capitalist and self-serving beliefs, reinforcing Priestley's critique of the older generation.

Q & A

What is the significance of port in the context of Mr. Birling's character?

The drinking of port in Mr. Birling's dialogue signifies wealth and status, as port was associated with the upper class due to its high cost. It shows Mr. Birling's desire to impress his future son-in-law and highlight his social aspirations.

How does Mr. Birling's mention of Finchley illustrate his social ambitions?

Mr. Birling's mention of Finchley, who supplies port to both him and Gerald's father, shows his eagerness to align himself with the upper class and impress his social superior. It's an example of him name-dropping to gain approval and fit into a higher social circle.

What does Mr. Birling's speech about economics and other nations reveal about his character?

Mr. Birling's speech focuses on his opinions about the country's economic future and the failings of other nations, rather than his love for his family. This demonstrates his self-centered nature, prioritizing wealth and business over personal relationships.

Why does Priestley emphasize Mr. Birling referring to himself as a 'hard-headed business man'?

The repeated reference to Mr. Birling as a 'hard-headed business man' emphasizes his identity being rooted in his financial success and work, rather than his family. It underscores his materialistic values and lack of empathy for others.

How does Mr. Birling represent capitalist ideology in the play?

Mr. Birling represents capitalist ideology by focusing solely on profit and reducing labor costs, showing little concern for the well-being of his workers. His views align with the exploitation of labor for personal gain, which is critiqued by the play.

What is the role of dramatic irony in shaping the audience's view of Mr. Birling?

Dramatic irony is used to highlight Mr. Birling's flawed worldview. For example, his confident predictions about war, the economy, and the Titanic are all proven wrong, making the audience question his judgment on other issues, such as his views on business and social responsibility.

How does Mr. Birling's view on the working class contribute to Eva Smith's death?

Mr. Birling's capitalist views, particularly his need to keep labor costs low, contribute to Eva Smith's death. His lack of empathy and focus on profit over people directly leads to her being exploited and dismissed, which ultimately plays a role in her demise.

What does Mr. Birling's reaction to Eric's theft and Eva's death reveal about his character?

Mr. Birling's primary concern after discovering Eric's theft is the financial loss, not the moral implications or the death of Eva Smith and his grandchild. This shows his inability to prioritize human life over money and his lack of responsibility.

How does Priestley contrast the younger and older generations in the play?

Priestley contrasts the younger generation's openness to change and socialist ideas with the older generation's resistance to learning social responsibility. Mr. Birling refuses to accept blame for Eva Smith's death, while his children begin to recognize their own culpability.

What is the significance of Mr. Birling's unchanged attitude by the end of the play?

Mr. Birling ends the play with the same attitudes and beliefs he held at the beginning, showing his inability to change or learn from the Inspector's message. This reinforces the idea that the older generation is stuck in its ways and resistant to the idea of social responsibility.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 Theatrical Significance of Small Details in Mr Birling's Character Introduction

This paragraph introduces JB Priestley’s view on how even the smallest theatrical elements can be significant in shaping a character. Focusing on Mr Birling from 'An Inspector Calls', the analysis begins with his reference to port in the first line of dialogue. The port is a symbol of wealth, establishing Birling’s desire to impress his future son-in-law, Gerald, a member of the upper class. Birling, who rose from working to middle class through his business success, reveals his aspiration for higher social standing through name-dropping and his fixation on luxury goods like port.

05:02

🍷 Social Class and Alcohol Consumption in Mr Birling's World

This paragraph explores the deeper meaning behind Mr Birling's choice of port, linking it to social class and the rules of etiquette around alcohol consumption. According to Thora Hands' work on alcohol in Victorian and Edwardian Britain, serving high-quality wines and spirits like port was a display of cultural capital, reinforcing social and gender norms. Birling’s use of port, and his reference to Finchley, highlights his desire to impress those above him, particularly Gerald Croft, reflecting Birling’s own insecurity about his social status.

💼 Mr Birling’s Capitalist Ideology and Self-Perception

This section analyzes Mr Birling’s speech at the engagement dinner, where instead of expressing affection for his daughter or future son-in-law, he focuses on his economic beliefs. His repeated self-description as a 'hard-headed business man' emphasizes that his self-worth is tied to wealth and business success. Birling’s lack of empathy and prioritization of financial gain are showcased when he states that 'a man has to make his own way', embodying the principles of capitalism, which will later be tied to the tragedy of Eva Smith’s death.

⚖️ Birling’s Capitalist Views vs. Socialist Criticism

Priestley contrasts Birling’s capitalist ideals with those of Inspector Goole, who criticizes this selfish mindset. Birling’s focus on minimizing labor costs represents his disregard for the working class, a mentality that Priestley associates with the death of Eva Smith. The paragraph also introduces the concept of dramatic irony, with Birling’s confidence in his predictions about world events (such as war and the Titanic) proving incorrect, making the audience distrustful of his views on labor and business as well.

📜 Dramatic Irony and Birling’s Ignorance

This paragraph delves further into the use of dramatic irony to undermine Mr Birling’s credibility. Priestley sets the play in 1912 but wrote it in 1945, allowing the audience to know that Birling’s confident predictions about war and the Titanic are entirely wrong. His dismissive tone about potential global conflicts makes him seem naive and misinformed. This early dramatic irony signals to the audience that Birling’s opinions on social and economic matters, including his treatment of employees, are equally flawed.

🔄 Mr Birling's Unchanged Attitude by the Play's End

This paragraph focuses on how, despite the dramatic events of the play, Mr Birling remains unchanged by the end. Even when faced with his son Eric's alcoholism, theft, and involvement in Eva Smith’s death, Birling is more concerned with recovering his lost money than with his son’s issues or the death of his grandchild. Priestley contrasts the older generation's rigid adherence to capitalist ideals with the younger generation’s openness to change, illustrating Birling’s inability to accept responsibility or learn from the inspector’s message.

Keywords

💡Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something the character does not. In the video, Mr. Birling makes incorrect assertions about war, the economy, and the Titanic, which the audience, set in 1945, knows to be false. This irony is used to make Mr. Birling’s opinions seem flawed and undermines his credibility on other topics, such as labor and business.

💡Mr. Birling

Mr. Birling is a central character in J.B. Priestley's play. He represents the capitalist ideology, prioritizing wealth over people. The video analyzes his obsession with status and his misguided views, using dramatic irony to show how his ideas are not only wrong but dangerous. He fails to take responsibility for Eva Smith’s death, highlighting his moral shortcomings.

💡Capitalism

Capitalism, as discussed in the video, refers to an economic system where businesses are privately owned to generate profit. Mr. Birling is portrayed as the embodiment of this ideology, believing in self-reliance and keeping labor costs down at the expense of others, such as Eva Smith. His focus on wealth accumulation exposes the dangers of unregulated capitalism in the play.

💡Port

Port, a type of wine, symbolizes wealth and social status in the play. Mr. Birling uses it to show off his affluence to Gerald, who comes from a higher social class. The video highlights how Priestley uses this small detail to reveal Birling’s desire to impress and his preoccupation with material wealth and class distinction.

💡Social Responsibility

Social responsibility is a key theme in the play, contrasting capitalist and socialist values. The video explains how Mr. Birling rejects responsibility for the death of Eva Smith, symbolizing the selfishness of capitalism. In contrast, the younger generation, particularly his children, are more open to the idea of collective responsibility, aligning with Priestley's socialist message.

💡Inspector Goole

Inspector Goole represents Priestley's socialist views in the play, serving as a moral contrast to Mr. Birling. The inspector’s arrival marks a shift in the narrative, where he challenges Birling’s capitalist ideals and highlights the consequences of social neglect. The video hints at how Mr. Birling dismisses Goole’s arguments as ‘socialist nonsense,’ further revealing his arrogance.

💡Finchley

Finchley is mentioned by Mr. Birling as the supplier of port to both him and Gerald’s father. The name-dropping is significant as it shows Mr. Birling’s attempt to impress Gerald and align himself with the upper class. This moment reveals his insecurity and social aspirations, as well as his obsession with status, as explored in the video.

💡Eva Smith

Eva Smith is a symbolic figure in the play, representing the working class and the exploitation they endure. Although she never appears on stage, her death is a direct result of Mr. Birling’s actions. The video emphasizes how Birling’s capitalist mindset led to her dismissal, highlighting his lack of empathy and sense of responsibility.

💡Class Distinction

Class distinction is a major theme in the play, as explored in the video. Mr. Birling, having risen from the working class to the middle class, constantly tries to impress his social superiors, such as Gerald. The video explains how details like the choice of port and Birling’s name-dropping illustrate the tension between the classes and Birling’s desire to elevate his social standing.

💡The Younger Generation

The younger generation, particularly Sheila and Eric Birling, are portrayed as more impressionable and open to change, contrasting with their parents. The video explains how Priestley uses the differences between the generations to suggest that hope for societal change lies with the youth, who are more likely to embrace social responsibility and reject the capitalist values of their elders.

Highlights

In a good theatrical production, everything down to the smallest detail is significant, including the shape and color of a room, the way light falls, and even the relation between a chair and stool.

Mr. Birling’s first line in the play about port highlights his desire to show off wealth, as port was associated with the upper class, and Birling wants to impress his future son-in-law, Gerald.

Birling’s name-dropping of 'Finchley' emphasizes his need to seek approval from those socially superior, such as Gerald’s family.

Mr. Birling has climbed from working class to middle class through business success, but still looks to socially superior figures, like his wife, for guidance on how to behave in upper-class settings.

In a key speech, Mr. Birling focuses not on family, but on his economic opinions, reinforcing how his self-worth is tied to his business success and wealth accumulation.

Birling’s repeated description of himself as a ‘hard-headed business man’ emphasizes his self-perception as being centered around work and money, rather than family or empathy.

Birling's capitalist ideology is portrayed through his dismissal of social responsibility and his belief in looking out for himself, foreshadowing his role in Eva Smith’s death.

The play contrasts Birling’s capitalist mindset with the socialist views of Inspector Goole, who challenges Birling’s lack of empathy for the working class.

Priestley uses dramatic irony to criticize Mr. Birling’s confidence in flawed predictions, like the Germans not wanting war or the Titanic being unsinkable, which discredits his views on business and society.

Dramatic irony devalues Birling’s opinions from early on, making the audience question his judgment even before the inspector arrives, setting the tone for his character’s misjudgments.

Birling’s failure to learn from the play’s events, even after discovering his son’s alcoholism, theft, and the death of his grandchild, underscores his fixation on money and status over personal relationships.

The generational divide in the play is clear, as Mr. Birling and his wife represent the older, rigid capitalist mindset, while their children are more open to socialist ideas and change.

Mr. Birling’s inability to accept responsibility for Eva Smith’s death, contrasted with his children’s more progressive views, highlights the tension between the older and younger generations.

Priestley critiques the older generation’s stubbornness and reluctance to change, implying that societal progress rests with the younger, more impressionable generation.

The final moments of the play reveal Mr. Birling’s unchanging attitude, as he is more concerned with recovering stolen money than reflecting on his family’s moral failures.

Transcripts

In this 1947 book ‘Theatre Outlook’, JB Priestley wrote: ‘In a good theatrical production

we are offered a piece of life so shaped and coloured and contrived that everything in

it, down to the smallest detail, is significant.’ He continues: ‘The shape and colour of a

room, the way the light falls through a window, the choice of furnishings, the very relation

between a chair and a stool, all mean something.’

So in this video we’re going to analyse the character of Mr Birling, starting by looking

at one of those small details: the use of port.

In the play’s first line of dialogue, Mr Birling says: ‘Giving us the port, Edna?

That’s right... 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’. The drinking of port is

significant due to its cost. It is something that was associated with the wealthy in society:

the price alone would have been prohibitive and therefore out of reach for the working

class – and let’s not forget the characters have been drinking champagne before the play

begins.

In her fascinating book ‘Drinking in Victorian and Edwardian Britain’, Thora Hands states:

‘The domestic context of alcohol consumption was governed by rules of social etiquette,

which both demonstrated and reinforced social class and gender values. Within middle- and

upper-class homes, purchasing, serving and consuming good quality wines and spirits were

key ways to demonstrate levels of cultural capital and good taste’.

Instantly, the audience sees Mr Birling as someone who wishes to show off to others,

and Priestley uses the name dropping of ‘Finchley’ to illustrate how Birling is keen to impress

his future son-in-law. It’s important to note that, in speaking to Gerald, the son

of upper-class Lord and Lady Croft, Birling is actually speaking to his social superior.

This imbalance of power has reduced him to name-dropping in an attempt to endear himself

to a family whose social position is one to which he personally aspires. Birling himself

has moved from working class to middle class through the success of his business. That’s

why he occasionally has to be told how to behave socially by Mrs Birling, his ‘social

superior’ as the stage directions put it.

Early in Act One, Priestley surprises the audience when Birling delivers a speech to

his family during the engagement meal that does not – as you would have thought – focus

on his love for his daughter or his fondness of his future son-in-law. Instead, his speech

centres around his opinions on the economic future of the country and the failings of

neighbouring nations. This speech is an excellent example of Priestley presenting Mr Birling

as a flawed, misled and pompous man. He refers to himself twice in very similar ways, first

as a ‘hard-headed business man’ and then moments later as a ‘hard-headed, practical

man of business’. This deliberate repetition on Priestley’s part emphasises how Mr Birling’s

self-perception is entirely built upon how he sees himself in terms of work and money.

Mr Birling’s priorities are not with people or family, but with how much wealth he can

accumulate. This results in a lack of empathy for those he exploits in order to grow his

fortune. As he himself puts it, ‘a man has to make his own way – has to look after

himself’.

Mr Birling can be seen to represent the ideology of capitalism – a system where business

is privately owned for the sole purpose of making profit. Of course, to make this profit,

business owners have to ‘keep labour costs down’ as Birling explains. As we go on to

learn, Birling’s capitalist agenda will be one of the causes of Eva Smith’s death.

Birling’s viewpoint will be directly contrasted by the message soon to be delivered by Inspector

Goole, who Birling himself will dismiss as being ‘Probably a Socialist’.

Priestley uses an almost ridiculous amount of dramatic irony to criticise the character

of Mr Birling. Dramatic irony is where the audience knows something the character on

stage does not. Given that the play was set in 1912 but first performed in 1945, the audience

knows that much of what Mr Birling asserts in the play’s opening moments is simply

incorrect. His confidence that ‘The Germans don’t want war’, for example, is doubly

wrong, given that not one, but two world wars would in fact take place in the coming years.

Like many others in the early 1900s, Mr Birling claims the idea of war is ‘nonsense’ and

‘fiddlesticks’. His dismissive tone reveals how confident he is in his ideas. His error

filled predictions about war, economic growth, and the Titanic being ‘absolutely unsinkable’

do not simply make the character seem ill informed and ridiculous. No, the errors about

war, the economy and the Titanic mean that, when we hear Mr Birling’s views on the treatment

of his own employees and on business, we consider his opinions on these matters to be just as

incorrect. Priestley’s effective use of dramatic irony here means Mr. Birling’s

opinions are instantly devalued. Structurally, these examples of dramatic irony occur so

early on in the play – even before the arrival of the inspector – to make it very clear

that Mr Birling and everything he stands for is wrong.

Initial impressions of Mr Birling are not good, but that can be also said of other characters

(for example, see my video on Sheila). However, what is so noticeable about Mr Birling is

how he ends the play in the same manner in which he started. For example, near the end

of the play, Birling discovers that his son, Eric, is an alcoholic who has stolen money

from the office and impregnated Eva Smith. It might therefore be surprising to the audience

that the majority of his dialogue with Eric focuses solely on recovering his lost money.

Eric’s slight against him and the impact upon his business causes Mr Birling consternation

– not the death of his grandchild or the alcoholism of his son.

Priestley employs contrast between the older and younger generations to make a point about

capitalism and socialism. Unlike his children, Mr. Birling fails to accept responsibility

for the death of Eva Smith, telling Eric ‘There’s every excuse for what both your mother and

I did’. Birling fails to learn the inspector (and Priestley’s) lesson of social responsibility,

reinforcing the inspector’s earlier comments about how it is the ‘young ones’ are ‘more

impressionable’. Priestley is criticising the behaviour of the older generation, implying

that they are fixed in their ways. In contrast, the younger generation of the Birling family

are open to new socialist ideas.