Essay on the differences between Mr Birling and the Inspector
“An Inspector calls”
Essay on the differences between Mr Birling and the Inspector
The play was written in 1945 and set in 1912 with a society very
different from ours.
The society of 1912 was divided into classes and how much money you
had. People were not treated as equals and those of a lower class
(e.g. Eva Smith), were treated with disrespect and no equality by
those of a higher class with bullying attitudes and influences (e.g.
Mr Birling and his family).
The main theme of the play is trying to put across a strong view to
respect each other and treat people as your equal, no matter what
their race, status etc, may be. The play and its message, I think, is
aimed at the younger generation, who will one day have the power and
influence to change the society we live in.
Mr Birling’s social background is different from his wife’s. Although
they are of the same class, Mrs Birling’s family is higher than Mr
Birling is. He is always trying to impress people (e.g.”…Lord Mayor
two years ago…”, “…knighthood…”). He has a great air about him, trying
to prove that he is of high class and important.
The Birling’s family life is not quite what it seems. It is clear that
Mr Birling and his wife still treat their two children (Eric and
Sheila), like little children, trying to intimidate them. They also
don’t seem to be close to their children. A quote that demonstrates
this is on page 32, when Mrs Birling finds out that her son is a heavy
drinker. At the start of the play, the family are sitting at their
dinner table, celebrating Sheila and Gerald’s engagement. However, Mr
Birling soon shows his true feelings on the engagement when he says
that the marriage would be a great business opportunity, (page 4).
The role of the Inspector throughout the play is that he is trying to
make the Birling’s take responsibility for their actions towards Eva
smith. He has a moralising attitude and isn’t afraid or intimidated by
Mr Birling’s bullying attitude. The Inspector’s words/speeches hold
hidden depths of what is happening around us and how we treat people
can have dramatic consequences.
He is trying to achieve the impossible with the Birling’s. he tries to
make them see what consequences their actions had and to take
responsibility for their part in driving Eva to suicide. His final
speech on page 56 has a big effect on Sheila and Eric (and the
reader). He finally gets through to Sheila and Eric and is sympathetic
The characters address the audience; the fast movement from scene to scene juxtaposing past and present and prevents us from identifying with particular characters, forcing us to assess their points of view; there are few characters who fail to repel us, as they display truly human complexity and fallibility. That fallibility is usually associated with greed and a ruthless disregard for the needs of others. Emotional needs are rarely acknowledged by those most concerned with taking what they maintain is theirs, and this confusion of feeling and finance contributes to the play's ultimate bleak mood.
Page 16 - “I felt as if I were sitting on a pair of tree trunks.”
shall firstly do a summery of the play and give a basic image of what
One of the goals in the play is to raise awareness about domestic violence. This is done effectively through the events that are played out in the
A Comparison of Characters of Mr. Birling and Inspector Goole in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls
Harper American Literature, Inc. Harper & Row Publishers: New York, 1987, pp. 113-117. 1308 - 1311 -.
Quote: “I was like a blind person walking to my fate. But I was no longer scared.” (Page 59)
Hence, upon analyzing the story, one can conclude the certain themes that parallel through the pages. Firstly, a theme of unity and trust is present at the end of the play. This is supported by the image of the cathedral, which is a place of unity. Most importantly, the notion of equality among people is the main theme within this story. The narrator starts as a biased, idiot, who dislikes all people that are not like himself. He even at times is rude to his wife. Ironically, it takes a blind man to change the man that can literally see, to rule out the prejudices and to teach him that all men are created equal.
In order to understand the main idea of the play, it is important to understand details of the background of the author as it will help to illustrate a possible connection to the play.
I want to argue that in the play, the themes of love and hate are
The play also conveys a strong political message. The play encourages the idea of socialism, a society in which responsibility and community are essential, also a place where the community all work together and are responsible for their actions. This is in contrast to capitalism. JB priestly wrote the play in 1945, but it was set in 1912 just before the war, it was later performed in 1946. The play was written after World War I and World War II, Priestley used this to his advantage, it makes the audience feel awful after what has just happened, the majority of the audience would have either lived through one or both of the wars.
At the age of twenty, and at the outbreak of war, in 1914, he joined
reach into the ideas and themes of the play so we will have a good
themes of the play and helps us gain insight on other characters. I find the following quote to be
One more example, also on page 27 “but it was only in the night that