Mr Birling in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

Mr Birling in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls Works Cited Missing Written in 1946,by J.B.Priestley, "An Inspector Calls" leads us into

the comfortable and complacent world of the Birling family. The family

live in the industrial town of Brumley in 1912. The play takes place

in a traditional style Edwardian dining room, Priestley describes the

room as "substantial and heavily comfortable, but not cosy and

homelike "(Act 1 Page 1). The initial stage directions give us a

particularly in depth visualization of what the room would have looked

like, it goes into detail about the champagne glasses, lights, fire

place, cigar box, all of which symbolise the wealth the family

possesses and it reveals their status. The dining room has "good solid

furniture of the period" (Act 1, Page 1) the family is dressed in

formal evening wear and their every need is tended to by their maid

Edna.

The play opens with Mr Birling, Mrs Birling, and their son Eric

celebrating the engagement of their eldest child, Sheila to Gerald

Croft, the son of the Birlings main business rivals. The five of them

are seated around the dining table, engagement speeches are made and

the atmosphere is jolly and high spirited. At this point in the play

we have no idea what the dramatic twist is going to be, but we know

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...ong 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.