Examples of characters + quotes:

• Eva Smith= working-class, embodies the STRUGGLES and vulnerability of a working-class woman, her diary represents the silent struggles women face in society

  
  

• Mrs Birling= Upper-class, Embodies traditional gender roles + societal expectations.

  
  

• Mr Birling= Upper-class, has patronising views towards women (sees them as inferior, dependent on men), dismisses sheila and women generally.

  quotes:

  • "When you're married you'll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business. you'll have to get used to that, just as I had" (shows Mr Birling's views to traditional gender roles and that women have to accept or "get used" to their husbands priorities)

  • (about eva) "A girl of that sort would ever refuse money" (because shes a woman specifically of lower class means she was in worse position than a low class male)

  
  

• Sheila= Upper-class, she rejects traditional gender roles(seen when she challenges her father)

  quotes:

  • "but these girls aren't cheap labour-they're people."(challenging gender roles)

  • "is this the one you wanted me to have?"( stereotypical women behaviour at the beginning of the play - eager to please her husband, making gerald the leader and decision maker of the relationship meanwhile shes submissive.)

    
    

• Gerald=

  quotes:

  • (about daisy renton aka eva) "young, fresh and charming" (the word fresh is dehumanising as it makes her seem as if shes a fruit that can be thrown away once he was done with her)

  • 
    

-the birling family who are upper-middle-class industrialists, represents the elite social class. arthur birling, the father and a rich factory owner is worried with maintaining his social status and is uninterested and apathy towards those in the lower classes. he believes in individualism and self-interest and believes that social class defines a person's worth.

-mrs. Birling, Arthur's wife, also comes from an upper-middle-class background, (her family being richer than Mr. Birling's showing his greed for money) and maintains a snobbish attitude towards those deemed beneath her. she is the chairman of the of a Women's Charity Organization and uses her position to assert authority and control over the lower classes, showing little empathy or understanding.

-Their daughter, Sheila Birling, initially appears to share her parents' views even firing Eva Smith for a misunderstanding. However, as the play progresses, she begins to question her beliefs and the morality of the upper class. She demonstrates a willingness to challenge the status quo and shows remorse for her actions unlike her father.

-Eric Birling, the brother of Sheila and the son of Mr and Mrs Birling, does not try to deflect blame or deny responsibility. he acknowledges his mistakes and shows genuine remorse for the harm he caused. this is shown in his conversation with Sheila, where he admits his wrongdoing and acknowledges that he must learn from his actions. eric's role in the play is crucial as he highlights the hypocrisy and immorality of the upper class. while his parents and Gerald Croft are unwilling to face their responsibility and change their ways, eric, a long with Sheila, represents a younger generation that questions the established social norms and seeks to bring about change. by the end of the play, Eric is portrayed as a character who has learned from his mistakes and is willing to take responsibility for his actions. He is seen as capable of growth and is encouraged by the Inspector's final speech, ("We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.") which emphasizes the importance of collective responsibility and social change.

-Gerald Croft, Sheila's fiancé, represents the upper-class aristocracy. although he is engaged to Sheila he is having a secret affair over the summer with the working class girl, Eva Smith. Gerald's social class allows him to exert power and influence over others, like he did with Eva Smith, but at the end he fails to take responsibility for his actions.

-Inspector Goole serves as the catalyst for change in the play. he arrives unexpectedly at the Birling residence to investigate the suicide of Eva Smith. The inspector is portrayed as a mysterious figure with an uncanny ability to expose the hypocrisy and disregard for the lower class displayed by the upper class.

Priestley uses the characters (especially inspector Goole, Sheila and Mr birling) and their interactions to critique the hierarchical structure of society and advocate for greater empathy and understanding between different social classes.

Mr Birling never accepts responsibility for his actions. He reflects how the capitalist system will not work because of the lack of compassion it breeds.

Through this microcosm of capitalism Priestly shows how the system only protects the interests of the rich instead of the workers.

Where can this be represented?

Mrs Birling:

Mrs Birling is the symbolic representation of the traditional 1912s women, where in the presence of a man she acts as their subordinate and encourages their views and opinions. Along with her husband she's often misogynistic to women in the lower classes and those who are 'less' than her.Additionally, her judgmental characteristics and her stubbornness on remaining the same and not changing is a reflection on conservative women in the 1940s who wish they would return to the old days.

-comparison-

Eva smith

Eva smith is the direct juxtaposition of Mrs Birling, she does not act as a subordinate to men, she voices her opinions and what she believes it right, and priestly portrays her as resilient, brave, outgoing and strong not like Mrs Birling. Eva Smith is the representation of the working class and represents a different way women were opressed. Eva is often seen defying social norms and so for example having a pregnancy without being bounded to a marriage, beining dependant on herself instead of a man and so on.

Inspector Goole embodies the theme of social responsibility, acting as a catalyst for moral introspection among the characters. The Inspector arrives unannounced at the Birling household, initiating an investigation into the suicide of Eva Smith. However, his role extends beyond a mere criminal inquiry; he serves as a symbolic figure representing the conscience of society. Through relentless questioning, the Inspector compels the Birlings and Gerald to confront their individual and collective responsibilities toward the less fortunate. He exposes the moral flaws in their actions, highlighting how the upper class's disregard for the working class contributes to a cycle of exploitation and misery. Inspector Goole becomes an agent of change, urging the characters to recognize their role in the larger social context. His departure, revealed to be shrouded in mystery, underscores the notion that he is not merely a flesh-and-blood detective but a force of moral reckoning.

-Emma

It not only shows her ability to take responsibility, but also her ability to grow and change as a person. Sheila is the representation of socialism in the play. She understands and sympathises others in a way that people rarely do in a capitalist society.

She also urges her family, who do not seem to have any regret for what they have done, to take responsibility for their own actions. For example, in this quote, "But these girls aren't cheap labour- they're people.” She pushes her father to understand how the consequences of his own actions led to Eva Smiths death.

Sheila and Eric's reactions are much different. They still feel guilty because they still did the things they did to her, they don't care if it ended in tragedy or not, they still accept responsibility. "Everything we said had happened had happened. If it didn't end tragically, then that's lucky for us. But it might have done"