An Inspector Calls – Act I

Match the characters to their description

EVA SMITH EDNA ARTHUR BIRLING

SHEILA BIRLING GERALD CROFT

ERIC BIRLING SYBIL BIRLING INSPECTOR GOOLE

1. At the beginning she’s snobbish, selfish and self-confident, but then she thinks more clearly and accepts
criticism, she is critical, nice, honest and responsible: she wants to change herself and feels sorry for what
she has done. Her readiness to learn from experience is in a great contrast to her parents.
2. He is good-looking, rich and clever: He’s engaged to Sheila and also son of an industrial. He doesn’t
change lot during the story; stays a capitalist (just interested in money and profit). He seems to agree
completely with Mr. Birling, quite the same attitude of life.
3. He makes jokes, behaves silly, lives an easy-going life, and doesn’t care about anything. He behaves half
shy and half assertive.
4. He visits the Birlings after a young girl’s suicide and he is ready to question everybody in the family.
5. He’s a prosperous factory owner (businessman), his first priority is to make money and get power! He
strongly believes that “a man has to make his own way”. He’s looking forward to receiving a knighthood.
He refuses to accept any responsibility for Eva’s death.
6. She drank some disinfectant and died in the infirmary.
7. She is the maid
8. She wants to stick to the rules, concerned about manners (tells what the others should do or not). She is
only interested in the family-reputation. She’s very conservative, old-fashioned, selfish, cold-hearted and
snobbish.

Comprehension questions

 Why is Mr.Birling happy about Sheila’s engagement to Gerald?

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 Why might the inspector investigate a suicide?
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 What is Eric’s attitude to the strike?
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 What is the relationship between Sheila and Eric like?
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 What have Sheila and the inspector in common?
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 What is the relationship between Sheila and Gerald like?
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 Why did Eva Smith change her name into Daisy Renton?
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Background information
1912 to 1945
This was the period of the Russian Revolution, two appalling world wars, the Holocaust and the Atom Bomb.

An Inspector Calls is set in 1912 An Inspector Calls was written in 1945

The First World War would start in two years. The Second World War ended on 8 May 1945. People
Birling's optimistic view that there would not be a were recovering from nearly six years of warfare,
war is completely wrong. danger and uncertainty.

There were strong distinctions between the upper Class distinctions had been greatly reduced as a
and lower classes. result of two world wars.

Women were subservient to men. All a well off As a result of the wars, women had earned a more
women could do was get married; a poor woman valued place in society.
was seen as cheap labour.

The ruling classes saw no need to change the status There was a great desire for social change.
quo. Immediately after The Second World War, Clement
Attlee's Labour Party won a landslide victory over
Winston Churchill and the Conservatives.

Priestley deliberately set his play in 1912 because the date represented an era when all was very different
from the time he was writing. In 1912, rigid class and gender boundaries seemed to ensure that nothing
would change. Yet by 1945, most of those class and gender divisions had been breached. Priestley wanted to
make the most of these changes. Through this play, he encourages people to seize the opportunity the end of
the war had given them to build a better, more caring society.

Topics for discussion

Lower costs and higher prices
  What is the playwright's view of Mr, Birling's enthusiasm for joining the two wealthy families of
Croft and Birling, and his hope that they can work together for “lower costs and higher prices”?
 Lower costs are mostly achieved by paying the workers less. Would the audience see this as a good
thing?
 How would ordinary people feel about higher prices?

The Crofts and the Birlings

 Are the two families exactly alike? What differences can you find between Mr. Birling and the Crofts?
 Why are the Crofts not present at the celebration?
 Comment on the telegram that Sir George and Lady Croft have sent to the Birlings.

Mr. Birling's idea of progress

 What is Mr. Birling's view of the likely results of technological change (see his comments on cars and
aeroplanes)?
 Is he right to link scientific advances with progress in politics and international relations? Why does
he believe that there will be no war? How far do we trust his judgement? What do we know that he
does not about the future? Consider his comment that the Titanic is unsinkable.

Being above the law (or playing golf with the Chief Constable)
 How does the time in which the play is set enable Priestley to portray Mr. Birling as a man who can
use his influence to stop the Inspector from continuing with his investigation?
 How would an audience view the idea that the rules that apply to ordinary people do not apply to
the Birlings of this world?
 Do you know of anyone like Mr. Birling (in your own world, in the past, or in fiction), who believes
he or she is above the law?

The customer is always right

Sheila is able to have Eva sacked from Millwards' shop by threatening the manager that her family will close
its account there unless Eva goes.
 How does this reflect the class system of the time, by showing the enormous influence that a few
wealthy people could exercise?
 Could the manager have refused?

The honours system

At the start of the play, Mr. Birling hints to Gerald, that he will soon be knighted (become Sir Arthur Birling)
in return for his work in the Conservative Party.
 What is the importance in the play of Mr. Birling's knighthood?
 Mr. Birling is concerned when he learns of Eva's death - is he more concerned for Eva's suffering or
for his knighthood? What does this tell you?
 Do you think it right that Mr. Birling should be given a knighthood in return for his active support of
a political party?

 This play is set in 1912. In what ways might you argue that it has a relevance, not only to the Britain
of 1946, but also to the country as it is today?

Plot
1. Why did Birling sack Eva Smith?
 She was having an affair with his son
She didn't work hard enough
She was involved in a strike
2. Why did Eva Smith lose her job at
Milwards?
She smiled
Birling owned Milwards
She didn't have the right qualifications
3. How did Gerald Croft know Daisy Renton?
She used to work for him
She was his mistress
She was his sister-in-law
4. Who went to the Brumley Women's Charity
Organisation because she was pregnant, single
and needed financial help?
Mrs Birling
Sheila
The Birling's maid
5. Who was the father of the dead girl's child?
Gerald
Inspector Goole
Eric
 Character
1. "I'd give thousands - yes, thousands" 5. "Where did you get the idea that I did know
Arthur Birling her?"
Arthur Birling
Sheila Birling
Sheila Birling
Gerald Croft
2. "I was the only one of you who didn't give Gerald Croft
in to him." 6. "We don't live alone. We are members of one
Inspector Goole body."
Gerald Croft
Gerald Croft
Inspector Goole
Sybil Birling
3. "It frightens me the way you talk" Sybil Birling
Sybil Birling 7. "This girl killed herself - and died a horrible
death."
Sheila Birling
Sheila Birling
Eric Birling
Eva Smith
4. "It's what happened to the girl and what we
all did to her that matters." Sybil Birling
Eric Birling
Eva Smith
Arthur Birling

An Inspector Calls – Act II

Discuss the second act and watch the videos corresponding to Plot – Act II, and Characters.
 An Inspector Calls – Acts I, II & III

Complete the chart

When he/she Girl’s Explain the end of the

Where Relationship
met the girl name relationship

Arthur Birling

Sybil Birling
Sheila Birling

Eric Birling

Gerald Croft

Match the events to the approximate date in which they took place

1. September 1910  Eva is sacked by Milwards

2. December 1910
3. Late January 1911  Eva is sacked by Birling & Co.
4. March 1911  Gerald breaks off the affair
5. Early September 1911
6. Between September and November 1911
 Eva leaves Brumley for two months
7. November 1911  Eva finds she is pregnant
8. December 1911/January 1912  Eva is employed by Milwards
9. Late March 1912
10. Early April 1912  Eric meets Eva
 Mrs. Birling turns down Eva’s application
for help
 Eva’s suicide/An inspector calls  Eva becomes Gerald’s mistress