AN INSPECTOR

CALLS
JB PRIESTLEY
F I N A L R E V I S I O N A N D P R E PA R AT I O N
FOR THE GCSE EXAM
J.B.PRIESTLEY
• Born 1984, Bradford.
• Was in the army during WW1 – he was
wounded and effected by the gas and
withdrew from active service.
• After the war he went to Cambridge and did
a degree in Modern History and Political
Science.
• After University he worked as a journalist
and a theatre critic.
LINKS BETWEEN
J.B.PRIESTLEY AND AIC
• He lived through the time period the play is set.
• He fought in the war that the Inspector predicts.
“Fire and blood and anguish”. Priestley saw these
sufferings first hand and wanted to avoid further
wars.
• He was always interesting in historical events and
politics.
• His play represents the conflicting views on
Capitalism and Socialism.
What is the social
background/context of
the play?
 POLITICS IN THE PLAY?
Capitalism
 Profit is the priority
 Sees life as a competition
 Survival of the fittest
 Private businesses control
trade and industry
 Represented in Priestley’s
time by the Conservatives
 “Right Wing”
Socialism
 Production, distribution and
trade should be publicly
owned for the good of the
community as a whole
 Everyone has a collective
responsibility
 We should all look after each
other
 Represented in Priestley’s
time by the Labour party
 “Left Wing”
What is the social
background/context of
the play?
SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT
• Written in 1945 but set in 1912 – written just after WW2 and set just before WW1.
• By setting the play in the past Priestley can use DRAMATIC IRONY – the audience knows
what has happened but the characters in the play do not.
• Early 20th Century:
– Saw the start of a move away from an elite few controlling everything to society being more equal.
– An increase in the number of strikes
– Women were becoming more demanding of equality - suffragettes became militant during this
time.
– After the time the play is set there was an economic depression – not helped by the cost of war.
– WW1 – 1914 to 1918
– WW1 is used in AIC to show that mankind needs to change. Mr Birling’s comments make him
look foolish to the audience. The reference to war may also remind the audience what happens
when people stop caring for each other and instead seek personal power.
– Titanic sank on the 14th or 15th April 1912.
– 1940 – Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister.
– 1945 – a socialist Government comes to power.
CAPITALISM

• Mr Birling represents a capitalist society.

• Capitalism is an economic system that is based on the private
ownership of industry.
• Problems with capitalism:
– Leads to the few exploiting the many
– Those who have the money have the power to stop others from sharing
their wealth
– No social mobility
– The richer get richer and the poorer get poorer
SOCIALISM

• Socialism is the belief that as a society, we have to look after one

another.
• Under socialism the rich are responsible for looking after the poor.
• Taxation is sometimes higher in a socialist state so that the Welfare
State can be paid for ( e.g. NHS, schools, unemployment benefit).
• Socialists do not want a class system
1912 VS 1945/6

• 1912
– Country is still benefitting from new technology
– Still very Victorian society
– Rigid class system
– Conservative politics and government (individual responsibility)

• 1945
– 2 World Wars had taken place
– Class system was less rigid
– Women could now vote
– Politics were more socialist (collective responsibility)
PLOT SUMMARY – ACT 1
• The Birling family (Arthur, Sybil, Sheila and Eric) and Gerald Croft, are
having a meal to celebrate the engagement of Sheila and Gerald.
• Arthur Birling makes a toast. In it, he informs the younger members of the
family that their future looks bright and that it is important to look after
themselves. Priestley makes use of dramatic irony to undermine Arthur
Birling – Birling says there won’t be a war and talks about the success of
the Titanic.
• Just as Mr. Birling says, “a man has to mind his own business and look
after himself and his own”, the doorbell rings. Shortly after, the maid
shows Inspector Goole into the room.
• The Inspector explains that a young woman has died after drinking bleach.
He questions Mr. Birling, who admits to having her sacked after she was
involved in a strike at the factory. The Inspector then questions Sheila, who
admits to having the girl sacked from Milwards because she was jealous
that the girl looked better in the dress she liked than she did.
PLOT SUMMARY – ACT 2
• The Inspector’s attention falls on Gerald. When questioned, he admits that
he knew the girl. After meeting her at the Palace Music Hall in Brumley,
Gerald set her up in the flat of a friend and they became lovers. After a
happy period, it came to an end and Eva / Daisy left Brumley and went to
the seaside. After the questioning, Gerald goes for a walk.
• The Inspector questions Mrs. Birling next. She admits that the girl came
to her charitable organisation and asked for help, as she was pregnant and
could not ask the father for money. Mrs. Birling believes the girl is putting
on graces and is offended that she uses the name “Mrs. Birling”. She
therefore persuades the other members of the charity to refuse her request.
Mrs. Birling is defiant and refuses to accept she did anything wrong. She
tells the Inspector that the father of the child is to blame and it is the
Inspector’s “duty” to arrest him.
• Instead of leaving as Mrs. Birling hoped, the Inspector waits to “do his
duty.”
PLOT SUMMARY- ACT 3
• Eric returns to the house and into the firing line. He knows that his
secret is already out but does explain what happened – he had an affair
with the girl and she fell pregnant. He offered to marry her but she
declined, knowing that he didn’t love her. Eric gave her money to begin
with, which he stole from his father’s business. When she realised the
money was stolen, she refused to take any more.
• The Birling family appear to have learnt their lesson and seem sorry for
what they have done. The Inspector tells them that we all have to look
after each other and that there are plenty of other people in the world
like Eva Smith. He then leaves.
• Shortly after, Gerald Croft returns from his walk. He brings into doubt
the identity of the Inspector (having spoken to a policeman who has
never heard of him) and even explains that it is possible that Eva Smith
never existed.
PLOT SUMMARY – ACT 3
CONTINUED.
• Quickly convinced by Gerald’s arguments, Mr. and Mrs. Birling decide
that it was a joke and laugh the whole thing off. They have not really
learnt anything.
• Eric and Sheila are not so easily swayed. They argue with their parents
that this doesn’t change anything – they are still responsible for the
terrible things they did.
• The telephone rings – it is for Mr. Birling. A young woman has just
died at the infirmary and a police inspector is on his way to the house.
• The play ends on this bombshell.
WHO ARE THE
MAIN
CHARACTERS???
 ARTHUR BIRLING

• What does his first line tell us about his character? “Giving us the
Port, Edna? That’s right”. How do you think this would be spoken?
• What do you think of Arthur Birling so far and why? You can refer
to the words below, however you must justify your opinions.

Traditional Rich Snotty

Selfish Overbearing
MR BIRLING

1.Birling is arrogant
2.Birling is insecure
3.Birling is selfish
4.Birling only cares about appearances, not reality
5.Birling cares about social status
6.Birling is used to getting his own way
7.Birling cares more about his business than his family
8.Birling’s attitude is unchanged by the events of the play
 SYBIL BIRLING
• What do we notice about the role of Sybil in the play? Is she more or less
important that her husband?
• Do you think she is a good mother from what we have read so far? Explain
why
• Snobby and stubborn and at times prudish (doesn’t like slang!)
• Yawn!! (she isn’t a very exciting character!)
• Believes she is always right (she doesn’t change her opinion for anyone!)
and BORING!
• Ignorant – She is set in her own ways and class, and doesn’t believe a girl
can have “fine feelings” (completely disinterested in anyone that is not
within her class)
• Lifeless and uncaring – She dismisses Eva/Daisy as just another girl “of
that class” or Loyal ( to Mr. B)
SYBIL BIRLING

1.Mrs Birling is arrogant

2.Mrs Birling is selfish
3.Mrs Birling feels that she has married beneath her social status
4.Mrs Birling is not a good mother
5.Mrs Birling’s charity work is conducted for selfish reasons
6.Mrs Birling’s attitude is unchanged by the events of the play
 SHEILA BIRLING
• Sheila is an example of a “perfect daughter” brought up in the
Twentieth Century (within her social class- completely spoilt!)
• Discuss from our initial impressions what type of person we think
Sheila is… Lively? Happy? Unselfish? A good daughter?
• Sheila felt threatened by a younger, prettier girl when she went
shopping in Milwards. What does this tell us about her character?
Spoilt
Honest (once she realises the effect her actions have had on Eva/Daisy
Emotional (capable of feelings and is true to them, unlike the other
characters)
Instinctive (She sees what the inspector is trying to do, and understands his
point)
Lively
Able to change
SHEILA BIRLING

1.Sheila is a perceptive young woman

2.Sheila is the first to see the truth
3.Sheila learns from the Inspector’s visit
4.Sheila will behave differently in future
5.Sheila and Eric’s relationship is strengthened by the Inspector’s visit
6.How is Sheila and Gerald’s relationship affected by the Inspector's
visit?
 ERIC
Sheila refers His dad still
to him as sees him as
“poor Eric”. a “boy”.

• He is like the ‘Black Sheep’ of the family (They don’t know their son as well as
they think!)
• Priestley uses the stage directions not quite at ease, half shy, half assertive to
describe Eric. What could this tell us about his character?
• He is a heavy drinker. What could be the reasons for this?
• Do you think Eric is a good character so far?
• ….. Later in in the Play we see that Eric represents two types of characters:
Victim and Villain (Can you predict why!?)
In Act 3, Mrs.
He got
Birling reveals
Eva/Daisy
“I am ashamed
pregnant
of you” to Eric.
ERIC BIRLING

1.Eric’s heavy drinking is obvious from the start of the play

2.Eric tries his best to make amends for his behaviour
3.Eric learns from the Inspector’s visit
4.Eric will behave differently in future
5.What was Eric’s attitude to Eva Smith?
 GERALD
• The son that Mr. Birling never had! (and he makes this obvious!)
• He is to marry Sheila
• He is wealthy, handsome and an ‘Idealistic’ match for Sheila
• A younger version of Mr. Birling (What inspector Goole is trying to get rid of!).
This represents that something needs to change in society else attitudes of
snobbery and traditionalism will continue to be passed down the generation.
• Dishonest!
• Hypocrite! ( The inspector asks Gerald: “You think young women ought to be
protected against unpleasant and disturbing things?” and Gerald replies “yes”,
however….. It was Gerald who did an unpleasant thing to women like
Eva/Daisy!
• Had a personal relationship with Eva/Daisy- Why do we think he actually
cared for her? Could this change our opinion of him?
 EVA SMITH/ DAISY RENTON
• Who was she? Do we know? Could she just be a representative of all
She was…. working class women who are victims of society?
Pretty
A Victim • Although we never meet her ( because we are told by the inspector that
Depressed she committed suicide), she is an important character because she is
Working class used as a device to try and change the Birlings. The inspector says:
“There are millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left” and their
chances of happiness are “entwined with our lives”. What does this say
about the role of the Birling family, or the upper class families?
• “Big dark eyes”, “Soft brown hair” , “Fresh and charming” What do
these descriptions make you feel about her character?
Did she • She only became a prostitute because Mr. Birling sacked her from the
deserve factory and Sheila got her fired from Milwards for looking at her n a
everything funny way. This was her last resort.
that
happened • She wasn’t a vindictive character like some of the others! Therefore the
to her? Inspector seeks revenge for her
INSPECTOR GOOLE
Mysterious Moral
• Goole- Ghouls ? Is there any link here?- Mysterious!
• He has a natural authority throughout the play. How do you think he achieves this?
- Tone of voice?
- Language?
- Body language?
• He has authority, telling Eric to “wait his turn” (He is not afraid of the Birlings)
• He asks personal questions and demands answers ( They are not use to this!)
• He uses emotive language (tries to make them feel sorry and guilty for Eva’s suicide)
- “Pretty and lively” who died in “misery and agony” (about Eva/Daisy)
- “Alone, friendless, almost penniless, desperate” (about Eva/Daisy)
• He challenges, questions, demands and makes an impact. What do you think he
represents? Discuss!!

Right! Aggressive
WHAT COULD ‘AN INSPECTOR CALLS’ SAY
ABOUT THE ROLES OF MEN AND WOMEN AT
THE START OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY?
WOMEN
• Naïve
• Silly
• Not that important
• Marry into money
• Conform to stereotypes ( Act
how society sees them to do so –
go shopping, marry, cry and act
hysterical)
MEN
• Traditional (Gerald and Arthur)
• Have a more important voice
than women
• Leaders
• Occupied with business and work
• Different rules (Gerald and
Arthur allowed to sleep around
before marriage)
ADDITIONAL CHARACTER
INFORMATION
• ON THE NEXT FEW SLIDES IS SOME MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT EACH CHARACTER FOR YOU TO USE AS YOUR
REVSION.
MR BIRLING
• Prosperous factory owner, not the social equal of his wife. He is 'a self
made man'
• First priority is to make money 'It's my duty to keep labour costs down'
• Welcomes Croft into his family as he represents a business link between
his firm and that of Gerald Croft's father (a rival)
• Has an honest approach to life, he tells the Inspector that he wouldn't
listen to Eva Smith's demand for a wage rise 'I refused, of course' and is
surprised why anyone should question why.
• Strongly believes that 'a man has to make his own way'. He does not
consider the harm he may cause to other people because of his attitude.
He is a 'hard headed business man '
• He is a magistrate and former mayor who is looking forward to receiving
a knighthood
MR BIRLING CONTINUED
• He is very aware that Gerald's mother is rather against her son's marriage
because she believes him to be marrying beneath him socially
• He is optimistic about the future, yet we know that what he predicts will not
become true (NB dramatic irony)
• He refuses to accept any responsibility for Eva 's death. He becomes increasing
annoyed by the Inspector's questioning and Eric's unsympathetic attitude
• He tries to threaten the Inspector by talking about his friendship with the Chief
Constable
• The most disturbing part of the play for Birling is the scene in which he learns
that his own son is shown to be a thief, a drunkard and is responsible for
fathering a child. When he learns of all this he exclaims 'You damned fool - why
didn't you come to me when you found yourself in this mess?'
• Eric's reply indicates that Mr Birling was never close to his son 'Because you're
not the kind of chap a man could turn to when he's in trouble'. Such a response
indicates that things aren't going to improve much after the play ends
MR BIRLING CONTINUED
• He represents a very unattractive sort of person. At the end of the play
he grudgingly wishes things were better but even here he still thinks in
terms of money 'Look, Inspector - I'd give thousands'
• He continues to ignore the shameful things that his family has done.
When it appears that the Inspector might be a hoaxer he is happy to
believe that everything is as it was a few hours ago. He copies the
Inspector and laughs when he remembers the faces of Eric and Sheila
and accuses them of being 'the famous younger generation who know
it all'. This is an example of pride coming before a fall, a moment later
of course he is panicking as the phone rings again
• Mr Birling represents Priestley's hatred of businessmen who are only
interested in making money. He will never alter his ways and it is left
to the younger generation to learn from their mistakes
SHEILA BIRLING
• At the start of the play she is 'very pleased with life'. She is young, attractive
and has just become engaged
• Her happiness is soon to be destroyed as is her faith in her family
• Her response to the tragedy is one of the few encouraging things to come
out of the play. She is genuinely upset when she hears of Eva's death and
learns from her own behaviour
• She is very distressed by the girl's suicide and thinks that her father's
behaviour was unacceptable. She readily agrees that she behaved very badly
and insists that she never meant the girl any harm.
• The Inspector says that she is only partly responsible and later on, when he
is about to question Gerald, he encourages her to stay and listen to what he
has to say so that she doesn't feel entirely responsible
• Not only is she prepared to admit her faults, she also appears keen and
anxious to change her behaviour in the future, 'I'll never, never do it again'
SHEILA BIRLING CONTINUED
• She is aware of the mystery surrounding the Inspector, yet realises that
there is no point in trying to hide the facts from him
• She is mature about the breaking up of her engagement and remains
calm. She won't be rushed into accepting the ring back once the
Inspector has left
• She is unable to accept her parents attitude and is both amazed and
concerned that they haven't learned anything from the episode.
Although the Inspector might be a hoax, the family have still behaved
in an entirely unsuitable manner
• She learns of her responsibilities to others less fortunate than herself
(the idea of the community) and is sensitive. Her readiness to learn
from experience is in great contrast to her parents
MRS BIRLING
• She is described at the start as "about fifty, a rather cold woman
and her husband's social superior."
• She is a snob, very aware of the differences between social classes.
She is irritated when Mr Birling makes the social gaffe of praising the
cook in front of Gerald and later is very dismissive of Eva, saying
"Girls of that class."
• She has the least respect for the Inspector of all the characters. She
tries - unsuccessfully - to intimidate him and force him to leave, then
lies to him when she claims that she does not recognise the
photograph that he shows her.
• She sees Sheila and Eric still as "children" and speaks patronisingly
to them.
MRS BIRLING CONTINUED
• She tries to deny things that she doesn't want to believe: Eric's
drinking, Gerald's affair with Eva, and the fact that a working class
girl would refuse money even if it was stolen, claiming "She was
giving herself ridiculous airs."
• She admits she was "prejudiced" against the girl who applied to her
committee for help and saw it as her "duty" to refuse to help her. Her
narrow sense of morality dictates that the father of a child should be
responsible for its welfare, regardless of circumstances.
• At the end of the play, she has had to come to terms that her son is a
heavy drinker who got a girl pregnant and stole money to support her,
her daughter will not marry a good social 'catch' and that her own
reputation within the town will be sullied. Yet, like her husband, she
refuses to believe that she did anything wrong and doesn't accept
responsibility for her part in Eva's death.
ERIC BIRLING
• He is described at the start as "in his early twenties, not quite at ease,
half shy, half assertive."
• Eric seems embarrassed and awkward right from the start. The fist
mention of him in the script is "Eric suddenly guffaws", and then he is
unable to explain his laughter, as if he is nervous about something. (It is
not until the final act that we realise this must be because of his having
stolen some money.) There is another awkward moment when Gerald,
Birling and Eric are chatting about women's love of clothes before the
Inspector arrives. Do you feel that there is tension in Eric's relationship
with his father?
• It soon becomes clear to us (although it takes his parents longer) that he is
a hardened drinker. Gerald admits, "I have gathered that he does
drink pretty hard."
• When he hears how his father sacked Eva Smith, he supports the worker's
cause, like Sheila. "Why shouldn't they try for higher wages?"
ERIC BIRLING CONTINUED
• He feels guilt and frustration with himself over his relationship with the girl.
He cries, "Oh - my God! - how stupid it all is!" as he tells his story. He is
horrified that his thoughtless actions had such consequences.
• He had some innate sense of responsibility, though, because although he got a
woman pregnant, he was concerned enough to give her money. He was
obviously less worried about stealing (or 'borrowing' from his father's office)
than he was about the girl's future. So, was Eric, initially, the most socially
aware member of the Birling family?
• He is appalled by his parents' inability to admit their own responsibility. He
tells them forcefully, "I'm ashamed of you." When Birling tries to threaten
him in Act III, Eric is aggressive in return: "I don't give a damn now." Do
you think Eric has ever stood up to his father in this way before?
• At the end of the play, like Sheila, he is fully aware of his social responsibility.
He is not interested in his parents' efforts to cover everything up: as far as he is
concerned, the important thing is that a girl is dead. "We did her in all
right."
GERALD CROFT
• He is described as "an attractive chap about thirty, rather too
manly to be a dandy but very much the easy well-bred man-
about-town."
• He is an aristocrat - the son of Lord and Lady Croft. We realise that
they are not over-impressed by Gerald's engagement to Sheila because
they declined the invitation to the dinner.
• He is not as willing as Sheila to admit his part in the girl's death to the
Inspector and initially pretends that he never knew her. Is he a bit like
Mr Birling, wanting to protect his own interests?
• He did have some genuine feeling for Daisy Renton, however: he is
very moved when he hears of her death. He tells Inspector Goole that
he arranged for her to live in his friend's flat "because I was sorry
for her"; she became his mistress because "She was young and
pretty and warm-hearted - and intensely grateful."
GERALD CROFT CONTINUED
• Despite this, in Act 3 he tries to come up with as much evidence as
possible to prove that the Inspector is a fake - because that would get
him off the hook. It is Gerald who confirms that the local force has no
officer by the name of Goole, he who realises it may not have been the
same girl and he who finds out from the infirmary that there has not
been a suicide case in months. He seems to throw his energies into
protecting himself rather than changing himself (unlike Sheila).
• At the end of the play, he has not changed. He has not gained a new
sense of social responsibility, which is why Sheila (who has) is unsure
whether to take back the engagement ring.
INSPECTOR GOOLE
• He is described on his entrance as creating "an impression of
massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. He is a man in his fifties,
dressed in a plain darkish suit. He speaks carefully, weightily, and
has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he
addresses before actually speaking."
• He works very systematically; he likes to deal with "one person and
one line of enquiry at a time." His method is to confront a suspect
with a piece of information and then make them talk - or, as Sheila
puts it, "he's giving us the rope - so that we'll hang ourselves."
• He is a figure of authority. He deals with each member of the family
very firmly and several times we see him "massively taking charge
as disputes erupt between them." He is not impressed when he hears
about Mr Birling's influential friends and he cuts through Mrs
Birling's obstructiveness.
INSPECTOR GOOLE
CONTINUED
• He seems to know and understand an extraordinary amount: - He
knows the history of Eva Smith and the Birlings' involvement in it,
even though she died only hours ago. Sheila tells Gerald, "Of course
he knows." - He knows things are going to happen - He says "I'm
waiting...To do my duty" just before Eric's return, as if he expected
Eric to reappear at exactly that moment - He is obviously in a great
hurry towards the end of the play: he stresses "I haven't much time."
Does he know that the real inspector is shortly going to arrive?
• His final speech is like a sermon or a politician's. He leaves the family
with the message "We are responsible for each other" and warns
them of the "fire and blood and anguish" that will result if they do
not pay attention to what he has taught them.
INSPECTOR GOOLE
CONTINUED
• All this mystery suggests that the Inspector is not a 'real' person. So,
what is he?
– Is he a ghost?
– Goole reminds us of 'ghoul'.
– Is he the voice of Priestley?
– Is he the voice of God?
– Is he the voice of all our consciences?
– Do you have any other suggestions?

• Remember that one of the things the examiner is looking for is your
personal response, so be prepared to state an opinion.
EVA SMITH
• Of course, we never see Eva Smith on stage in the play: we only have
the evidence that the Inspector and the Birlings give us.
• The Inspector, Sheila Gerald and Eric all say that she was "pretty."
Gerald describes her as "very pretty - soft brown hair and big dark
eyes."
• Her parents were dead.
• She came from outside Brumley: Mr Birling speaks of her being
"country-bred."
• She was working class.
EVA SMITH CONTINUED
• The Inspector says that she had kept a sort of diary, which helped him
piece together the last two years of her life:
• However, in Act 3 we begin to wonder whether Eva ever really
existed. - Gerald says, "We've no proof it was the same photograph
and therefore no proof it was the same girl." - Birling adds, "There
wasn't the slightest proof that this Daisy Renton really was Eva
Smith." Yet the final phone call, announcing that a police inspector is
shortly to arrive at the Birlings' house to investigate the suicide of a
young girl, makes us realise that maybe Eva Smith did exist after all.
What do you think?
• Think about Eva's name. Eva is similar to Eve, the first woman created
by God in the Bible. Smith is the most common English surname. So,
Eva Smith could represent every woman of her class.
WHAT ARE THE
THEMES OF THE
PLAY?
THE GENERATION GAP
The Younger Generation
• In the play, the younger generation
(Eric and Sheila) show that they are
capable of change. The express
sympathy for the strikers in Act 1
and they also show greater sympathy
for Eva Smith. Through the play,
they are honest about their actions
and refuse to go back on what they
have learnt.
• Sheila and Eric’s ability to change
means that Priestley can end the play
with an element of hope. It is
possible that the next generation can
make society better. Without this, the
play would end hopelessly, with the
characters co
The Older Generation
• In the play, the older generation
(Mr. & Mrs. Birling) seem
incapable of real change. They are
set in their ways and see Sheila
and Eric as “foolish” “children”.
• They have little sympathy for Eva
Smith and are only sorry that she
has died because it could impact
on their lives.
• Priestley uses Mr. & Mrs. Birling
to represent old-fashioned ideas.
He discredits them, abd what they
represent, by making them look
foolish and by catching them out at
the end.
RESPONSIBILITY
• Responsibility is arguably the most important theme in the play. The
words ‘responsible’ and ‘responsibility’ appear a considerable number
of times.
• At the beginning of the play, Mr. Birling gives his interpretation of
‘responsibility’ in his speech. Towards the end of the play, the
Inspector gives his alternative interpretation.
• These speeches reflect the opposing viewpoints in the play:
• Individual responsibility vs. collective responsibility
• Conservatism vs. Socialism
• Think about how Priestley makes it clear that he supports one view
and opposes the other.
RESPONSIBILITY
When thinking about this theme, consider:
• Personal responsibility – each character is forced to consider to what extent
they are responsible for Eva’s death;
• Towards the end of the play the Inspector tells the family that they can
divide responsibility amongst themselves after he has left;
• The different generations respond differently to the Inspector’s visit – who
really takes responsibility for their actions?
• Mrs. Birling is part of a Charitable Organisation – is this because she wants
to take responsibility or because it makes her look good?
• Eric tries to take responsibility for Eva and the baby but does it by stealing;
• The characters’ failure to fully take responsibility leads to the second
telephone call – would the telephone have rung if they’d learnt from their
mistakes?
• Who else is supposed to learn to take responsibility?
FAMILY
At the beginning of the play, Gerald thinks the Birlings are “a nice well behaved
family”, but…Gerald and the audience soon learn that there are murky secrets lurking
behind their polite, well polished behaviour.

• In 1912, family members were expected to know their role and to be content with
their position. The parents are in charge, the children are obedient and unquestioning.
• Gender roles were well defined for the wealthy and middle class:
– Men worked to support their families and they were to protect their wives and daughters.
– Women were to marry into money so that they didn’t have to work and they planned
parties, visited friends and had children.

• The Birlings want everyone to think they are the perfect family.
• The gender roles are shown when the women depart the scene to let the men talk.
• Mrs Birling always correct her families social mistakes.
• Sheila teases her brother about his behaviour last summer.
 FAMILY
• The hierarchy shown at the start of the play is destroyed by the
Inspectors arrival.

• The children can think for themselves without their parents influence:
– Sheila doesn’t know if she will marry Gerald anymore, she wants time to
decide for herself.
– Eric says his mother doesn’t “understand anything” and that Birling is
not “the kind of father a chap could go to for help”.

The family is ultimately a mess. Sheila and Eric refuse to behave the way they used
to: they don’t want to pretend anymore. The parents have lost their authority over the
children.

The family is tied together by lies. There is hatred, envy, theft, prostitutes and even
the responsibility for the death of your own grand-child.
 SOCIAL CLASS
Social class is very important in the play. Class influences the Birlings
behaviour and makes them treat people differently.

**Remember…Priestly did not agree with the class system ***

Priestley designed The characters represent the

Class plays a classes – Priestly challenges
the characters to
central part in the their views and behaviour in
put across his
plot. order to challenge the class
message.
hierarchy

Working class – Eva Smith / Daisy

Middle Class – The Birlings
Upper Class - Gerald
SOCIAL CLASS
• The class system made life hard for those lower down – Eva couldn’t
get help for herself when she was in trouble.
• Priestley shows how the upper classes have a limited sense of
responsibility.
• When Mrs Birling says she does not recognise Eva it is because to her
she has no identity – she does not exist because she is lower class.
• Priestly suggests that the higher classes didn’t question the class
system as it worked for them – this is also why they don’t recognise
Eric’s drinking and womanising – they don’t want to know.
• THE INSPECTOR TELLS THE BIRLINGS THAT THEY HAVE
TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYONE OR IT’LL
END IN “FIRE”, “BLOOD” AND “ANGUISH”.
 SOCIAL CLASS
• The Birlings are only worried about class:
– Birling is worried that Eva’s death will cause a public scandal.
– Birling thinks his position of authority makes him more important. He
has been Lord Mayor and is now a magistrate who dishes out judgements
on people – IRONIC AS HE HIMSELF HAS ACTED SO
IMMORALLY.
– Birling uses Gerald to promote his social class.
– Mrs Birling is a member of the Women’s Charity Organisation – they are
meant to help desperate women but she is only concerned with social
status.
Priestley thought class should not matter – he uses the play to reveal the unfairness of the class
system. He uses the Birlings to show all that is wrong with the ruling classes.

The pay shows how Priestly saw society – he uses the Birlings to represent all the middle classes.

Priestley saw the working class as victims of the class system – Eva’s story is unique but the miseries
she suffered were common – EVA SMITH COULD HAVE BEEN ANYONE.
SOCIAL CLASS

• Eva – should have low moral as she is working class but she refuses to
accept stolen money even though she is desperate.
• Eric and Sheila – they change by the end of the play and turn against
their own class. Priestley uses them to say that it doesn’t matter what
class you are from, you can break out and choose to act differently.
• The Inspector does not fit into the class system – he wants everyone to
be treated equally.
 JUDGEMENT
Priestley leaves the end of the play a mystery – it leaves the audience to figure out what has
happened and who to judge.

Morality Plays:
• Morality plays were religious plays written in the Late Middle Ages. They tried to teach
people how to behave and were warnings to the audience.
• AIC follows this idea – it points out everyone's sins and then tries to get them to confess and
repent.

The Inspector:
• He is there to teach the Birlings a lesson but who learns from it:
– Gerald, Arthur and Sybil all decide it is a hoax. They are relieved that the Inspector is a fraud and
they think they have been let off the hook.
– Sheila and Eric waver when they find out there was no suicide. But...they have learnt an important
lesson - that even if there wasn’t a tragic end to their story, there could have been.
Sheila and Eric hold true to their moral instincts however the
others react selfishly and never take responsibility for their
actions.
WHO IS
INSPECTOR
GOOLE?
WHO IS THE INSPECTOR???

1.Match the evidence and the point together.

2.Sort the pairs of cards into categories according to what they show
about the Inspector. The categories are up to you!
SO…WHO IS HE???

• He is J. B. Priestley (teaching us a lesson)

• He’s God / an Angel / the Devil
• He’s the voice of conscience
• He’s the child Eva Smith was pregnant with, come back as a ghost
• He’s a dream or group hallucination
• He’s a time traveller from the future
• He’s a real police inspector
• Other possibilities?
WHO IS INSPECTOR
GOOLE???
• ‘Inspector’ suggests someone who ‘inspects’ things – to look closely
at…Priestley’s stage directions tell us that the lighting becomes
‘brighter and harder’ on his arrival – a spot light on the family for his
investigation perhaps?
• The name sounds like ‘ghoul’ which makes him enigmatic
(mysterious). Is he from another world? A spokesman for the dead girl
come to plead her case?
• His physical description – ‘an impression of massiveness, solidity and
purposefulness’ – nothing distracts him from his purpose of
discovering the truth. His ‘solidity’ is necessary if he is to be a match
for the Birlings. He appears incorruptible, calm, determined. He
speaks ‘weightily’- this is a man who is serious about his mission.
WHO IS INSPECTOR
GOOLE???
• The mood of the play changes as soon as he arrives by becoming
more sombre. He is not drawn into ‘friendly’ chatter with Mr Birling.
• He reveals everyone’s secrets – has an uncanny knowledge of what
each character had done and when they have done it.
• He asks probing questions which lead them to confess. As Sheila says,
“somehow he makes you”. He makes the Birlings and Gerald face up
to what they have done and take responsibility for their part in the
“chain of events”.
• The Inspector controls everything: he decides who will speak and
when; who will be allowed to leave and who should stay; who sees the
photograph etc.
WHO IS INSPECTOR
GOOLE???
• He is omniscient (all knowing), mysterious and powerful but
compassionate to those who admit their responsibility, “if you’re easy
with me then I’m easy with you”.
• He is no ordinary policeman. He is concerned with moral truth – what
is right or wrong – rather than what is legal or illegal. He often speaks
like a judge or a prophet: “And I tell you that the time will soon come
when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in
fire and blood and anguish” and is the voice of social conscience:
“Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges”.
• He has several functions in the play: story teller (filling in background
histories)/father confessor (hearing each character’s confessions and
getting them to repent).
WHAT ROLE DOES THE INSPECTOR
PLAY AS A DRAMATIC DEVICE?

• How does the Inspector:

– Move the story forward? (contributing to the play’s dramatic
structure)
– Create dramatic tension? (contributing to moments of dramatic
intensity or tension on stage)
– Present Priestley’s central themes? (contributing to the play’s
dramatic message)
– Engage the audience? (contributing to the play’s dramatic
effectiveness)
WHAT ROLE DOES THE INSPECTOR
PLAY AS A DRAMATIC DEVICE?

• Qualities of the character: • Staging:

– Impressive – Lighting changes when he
– Purposeful arrives
– Methodical • Language used:
– Unflappable – The Inspector’s speeches
• Who the character is: increasingly show his
emotions
– Seems to know the future
– He moves from factual
– Possible supernatural
speeches (and dry humour) to
qualities?
anger and frustration
– Not a genuine police
– His final speech is impressive
inspector
and shocking
WHAT DRAMATIC
DEVICES ARE USED
IN THE PLAY?
DRAMATIC DEVICES USED
BY PRIESTLEY
• One set for the whole play
– makes the atmosphere of the play seem claustrophobic and intense – like a
pressure cooker.
– It also emphasises the Birlings’ private and self-centred lifestyle and
highlights the unwelcome arrival of the Inspector from the outside.
• Warning signs from the very beginning
– the family falls apart as their secrets are revealed. At the start you see the
signs of problems.
– Sheila “half joking” with Gerald shows she is not convinced he is telling
her the truth.
– Eric acting half drunk shows the audience that something is not quite right.
DRAMATIC DEVICES USED
BY PRIESTLEY
• The way the play looks can say a lot about its message –
– The lighting is “pink and intimate” at the start as if the Birlings are
looking at the World through rose tinted glasses. Later it becomes
“brighter” and “harder” when the Inspector arrives – as it a spotlight has
been put upon them.
 DRAMATIC DEVICES USED
BY PRIESTLEY
• Priestley paces the action to build tension and create conflict
– The audience would expect Act 2 to start with Gerald’s confession but it doesn’t.
Priestley delays the action by shifting the audiences attention to Sybil and Sheila.
This builds tension and increases the audiences curiosity.
– The Inspector releases information bit by bit – builds tension. He shows them the
photo one by one and positions it so that the other characters cannot see it.
– The family all start seated but by the end they are standing, crying and shouting. It is
a dramatic but slow change in how the stage looks and sounds.
• Entrances and Exits are very important
– An exit could signal a character escaping someone or something – Sheila wants to
leave the intense atmosphere when she thinks she was the reason Eva was sacked.
– The Inspector leaves Gerald and Sheila alone so that he can draw information out of
them.
– The front door BANGS every time someone leaves or enters – this causes the
audience to wonder who is coming and going.
 DRAMATIC DEVICES USED
BY PRIESTLEY
• The beginnings and ends of acts are a dramatic moment in themselves
– Priestley freezes the action between scenes to create tension.
– Act 1 ends with the Inspector asking “well?”
– Act 2 opens with the same moment. The audience would have wondered about
this question during the break.
– Act 2 ends in a cliff-hanger: the front door slams to show Eric is back but they
have to wait for Act 3 to hear his confession.
 LANGUAGE USED IN THE
PLAY
The words a character uses says a lot about their mood and their social class.

The Birlings:
• “chaps” “jingo” they use the language of their social class.
• Slang was popular with the younger generation but not with the older generation – “squiffy” Sybil is shocked when
Sheila says this.

The Inspector:
• He doesn’t mess about, he speaks his mind.
• He uses plain and direct language so that there cannot be any confusion.
• He also uses silence – he stares at a person before he speaks to them.
• The Birlings find him offensive because of his manner and language.

Sheila:
• At the start of the play she uses childish and simple language e.g. “daddy” and “mummy”.
• By the end of the play her language is more confident and assertive – she uses plain language just like the Inspector.
• She directly disagrees with her parents and tell them they were wrong to think that it was all a hoax.
HOW TO ANSWER
THE QUESTION
Arthur Birling says, ‘If we were all responsible for everything that
happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be
very awkward, wouldn’t it’? How does Priestley present ideas about
responsibility in ‘An Inspector Calls’?

In pairs, place the paragraphs in order and justify your reasons. How do
you structure an essay? Focus particularly on the introduction and the
conclusion.
INTRODUCTION
BREAK DOWN THE QUESTION

How is the character of Sheila important in the play?

The importance of How does she link to

Sheila the play’s themes
INTRODUCTION AND
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION CONCLUSION
• Give a clear answer to the question in 1 • Summarise your answer to the
or 2 sentences.
question.
• Include some of the ideas about what
you will include in your main • Make your main point again.
paragraphs. • You could develop your own
• Give your opinion.
opinion and highlight what
• Make it clear and ensure it fits the you think is the most important
question.
point.
e.g. Priestly uses dramatic irony in the
play to show that the character of Birling
is not as nice as he pretends to be and to
add humour to the play.
MAIN PARAGRAPHS
Point linked to question Use short quotes to support your ideas:
Evidence which precisely
Sybil is socially “superior” to her
selected husband, which is shown in her strict
Analysis of the quotation reinforcement of correct etiquette – she
at word level tells him off “reproachfully” for
Development of mentioning the servants in front of the
interpretations more upper class Gerald.

Evaluation of Priestley’s
purpose and his
intended effects on his
audience Use literary terms e.g. imagery,
euphemism, dramatic irony.
 CHOOSE 1 QUESTION AND IN PAIRS, PLAN
OUT YOUR PARAGRAPHS.
1. How important do you think social class is in An Inspector Calls and how does
Priestley present ideas about social class?

2. In the opening stage directions, Priestley refers to Eric as ‘not quite at ease, half shy,
half assertive’. How does Priestley present these and other ideas about Eric in An
Inspector Calls?

3. How does Priestley present ideas about gender in ‘Ann Inspector Calls’?

4. What do you think is the importance of Eva Smith in ‘An Inspector Calls’ and how
does Priestley present her?

5. Arthur Birling describes himself as ‘a hard-headed, practical man of business’. How

does Priestley present this and other views of Arthur Birling in An Inspector Calls?

6. How does Priestley present ideas about inequality in An Inspector Calls?