Key Quotes

Key Quotes

1. Birling on society

   • 'the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you'd think everybody has to look after everybody else'
     • Criticise/ rejects socialist beliefs
       • Total indivdualism
         • Arthur beliefs are a radical form of capitalist thought

2. Sheila's recognition

   • 'but these girls aren't ceap labour - they're people'
     • Although she has probably never in her life before considered the conditions of the workers, she shows her compassion immediately she hears of her father;s treatment of Eva Smith
       • Already she is starting to change
     • conjunction

3. Sheila's regret

   • 'it's the only time I've ever done anything like that, and I'll never, never d it again to anybody'
     • Repetition
       • Offers hope for the future and Priestley uses Shelia as an example of people’s changing attitudes towards those less fortunate than themselves.

4. Sheila on the Inspector

   • 'we all started like that - so confident, so pleased with ourselves until he began asking us questions'
     • Her attitude changing, her confident, optimistic attitude is changed
       • she eventually realises that there is no point in trying to hide the facts from the Inspector, her parent's obvious lying taints the faith that she has for her family although Sheila believes it is wrong to lie to the inspector the parents are ignorant of this fact.

5. Sheila on Eric

   • 'he's been steadily drinking too much for the last two years'
     • The inspection has resulted in numerous personal revelations, including this revelation of Eric’s drinking habits.
       • Sheila uses this information, and her mother’s surprised reaction to it, to support her insistence that Mrs. Birling needs to be more humble and not so presumptuous, that wealth and the trappings of “respectability” do not automatically equal moral rightness.

6. Inspector on guilt

   • 'I think you did something terribly wrong - and that you're going to spend the rest of your life regretting it'
     • Reinforces that Mrs Birling is an arrogant, self-caring, egotistical, selfish person as one does still not see how any of this was her fault

7. Mrs Birling defends herself

   • 'she was claiming elaborate fine feelings and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl in her position'
     • cold
       • unsympathetic when describing Eva Smith's position
     • She assumes that just because Eva is unmarried and pregnant that she is unable to have 'fine feelings' a very cruel and cold

8. Eric explains

   • 'I'm not very clear about it, but afterwards she told me she didn't want me to go in but that - well, I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty - and I threatened to make a row'
     • Eric is irresponsible and selfish
       • Binge drinking was not nearly as common as it is nowadays, so this sort of behaviour would have shocked the audience and maybe created a bad opinion of young men about town.
         • However, he clearly regrets what he has done and does try to do something about it. Priestley is showing us that he has already tried to take responsibility for his actions, no matter how poorly he went about them.

9. The Inspector says

   • 'but each of you helped to kill her. Remember that'
     • The inspector sums up, showing that the morally neglectful actions of the upper class family have condemned a working class girl to her death
       • Nobody in the family is without blame
     • 'Remember' - stressed verb

10. Sheila is sarcastic

    • 'I suppose we're all nice people now..."
      • Sheila reveals her generous nature and that she knows that whether the girl died or not, the sins they committed are still with them/ have taken place
      • Ironic tone

11. Birling's confidene

    • 'unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable'
      • Thinks he is right and is very sure of himself
        • Dramatic Irony
          • Encourages the audience to perceive Mr Birling as foolish
            • His views cannot be trusted
      • Repetition
      • Titanic a metaphor of Birling's family