How does Priestley present ideas about inequality in An Inspector

Calls?

Priestley explores multiple types of inequality throughout An Inspector Calls. Social class
and gender inequality are two themes explored in great detail, throughout the whole play,
through Priestley’s use of Eva Smith and two separate generations.
The first type of inequality Priestley presents is the inequality faced by the lower class. He
personifies the lower class through his use of the character Eva Smith. Eva Smith is a very
carefully chosen name because Eva links to the Bible story of Adam and Eve, demonstrating
Eva is the first, and Smith is a common name, implying she is just one of many who face
class inequality. The lower class are working for the upper class and are not treated fairly or
equal to the upper class and cannot earn as much money. Priestley wants the audience to feel
this is wrong, as he is a socialist, so he uses the character of Birling to represent the upper
class. Mr Birling is a Capitalist, unlike Priestley. Priestley turns the audience against Mr
Birling right from the beginning of the play during his speech, when he speaks of the Titanic
being ‘absolutely unsinkable’. Priestley uses dramatic irony, because despite the play being
performed after the titanic sank, it was set before the event occurred. Priestley does this so
that the audience realise at the start of the play that Mr Birling is naïve and thinks very highly
of himself. This means that when Mr Birling reveals that he did not allow Eva Smith the pay
rise she was requesting, the audience view Birling as a pompous, selfish businessman. This
allows Priestley to convey the message that inequality towards the lower class is unfair and
pass his socialist views to the audience. This is in order for him to be able to present that
society must not go back to how it was before World War Two and the Titanic.
Priestly uses the character of Sheila to help him portray how younger minds are more
impressionable, so if you are going to start anywhere you should start with young people.
Sheila argues against both class and gender inequality, once she has found out what happened
to Eva, when she says ‘but these girls aren’t cheap labour…they’re people.’ This is a
demonstration that everyone deserves to be treated fairly because we are all people and no
one is inferior. Priestley chooses to use Sheila, at this stage of the play, as she is the one who
can empathise with Eva the most, being a young girl herself. Priestley does this so that the
reader and the audience can relate and empathise with her, allowing them to comprehend how
Eva was feeling and realise how wrong the inequality she was facing was. As Mr Birling is a
Capitalist and treats the women so harshly, this turns the reader against Capitalism.
Consequently, Priestley is able to successfully inflict his socialist views on the audience by
demonstrating this can be done with equality, so is a better way forward.
Priestley also explores how different generations have different ideas about inequality and
responsibility. Despite both Mr and Mrs Birling being partially responsible for the fact that
Eva Smith committed suicide, due to their unfair, objectified treatment of her, neither see
themselves as having done anything wrong. Sybil Birling demonstrates this when she said ‘I
did nothing that I’m ashamed of’ which portrays that because Eva is of the lower class, she
sees her as an object and feels no remorse for refusing to help her. Similarly, Birling tries to
blame other people for what he did. Sheila and Eric, on the other hand, by the end of the play,
accept that everyone is responsible for what happened when he says ‘it’s what we did that
matters’. This demonstrates to the audience that the younger generation bring hope for the
future and the possibility for the inequality to end and all classes and genders to be treated
equally by all of society. This portrays Priestley is demonstrating that it is possible to have an
equal, socialist society and that society should never go back to how it was before.
Overall, Priestley presents that inequality is wrong and is mostly due to Capitalists who will
not treat the lower class fairly. He uses the Inspector and the younger generations to voice his
socialist views and explore the characters conscience and his play can be seen as a warning to
society. Priestley is warning the audience at the time, through the death of Eva Smith, that
she was one of many and society should not go back to how it was before. If it did, it would
have had bad consequences for society and all the Eva Smiths facing inequality. It also
conveys to the reader today that we should learn from the past because it was unjust and they
should never let history repeat itself.