Arthur Birling Act 1 Analysis

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INTRO ACT 1 : •The social and family setting. •Mr Birling's view of the world and political beliefs Arthur Birling is a character of many contradictions. Priestley has rightly made Mr Birling the focus of this Act as he is the head of the household. But he uses this platform as a stage to vent his own views on issues close to his heart. He alternates between extremes of concerned family man, to being a selfish self-obsessed man. Many years of being a 'hard headed business man' has created the character that is displayed in this act. This even extends to the marriage of his daughter to Gerald Croft, suitably the son of another successful business owner. Obviously Mr Birling believes that Gerald Croft is an ideal husband for his daughter, not because he loves her (in fact he later shows the opposite), but because Croft's business connections complements Mr Birling's business. This is shown immediately when Arthur Birling states, 'You'll be marrying at a very good time.' There is no mention of the traditional requirements for marriage, such as love, commitment, etc. This is a business deal that pleases Birling as it boosts his own power and standing in the community this shows that he is what we call a social climber, The language he uses reinforces this obsession with money and power, words such as 'interests', 'capital', 'protected' and 'prosperity' all suggest a business man, not words a father-in-law which should be emotional and caring…show more content…
In fact he is a family man who is guiding his daughter into, what he believes is, a suitable marriage, while also protecting the family's financial interests. This also enables Birling to improve his own social status and gain the proudness he
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