Grade 9 Analysis
Look at the character in a different way.
Is Arthur Birling a completely unchanged character?
Yes: Any wish to change the situation stems from his fear that he is about to be publicly exposed, not because he feels any shame or remorse. The fact that he defines any regret in monetary terms – ‘thousands’ of pounds – shows that he is still seeing the world purely in terms of financial gain and loss.
No: In Act 3, Arthur Birling says (unhappily) ‘I’d give thousands- yes thousands’ to change the course of events, showing some regret here for the consequences of his actions. The stage direction ‘unhappily’ and the fragmented speech indicated through the dashes suggests a change from the character at the start who is very pleased with himself and his life; he is now disturbed, with his confidence shaken by the events. The repetition of ‘thousands’ shows the extent to which he feels remorse and wishes that he could change the past.
Context: Priestley drew upon conventions of morality plays. These were plays performed in the Middle Ages which taught audiences how to behave through the repentance of the deadly sins. Arthur Birling represents the deadly sins of avarice (love of money) and pride, but he does not repent and is essentially unchanged at the end of the play.
