J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

'An Inspector Calls' by J.B. Priestley is set in an industrial city,

Brymley in 1912, just before the First World War. The Inspector's

dealings with the Birling family cause some of the characters in the

play to re-evaluate their position in society, whilst others remain

unaffected. J.B.Priestley criticises middle class oppression of the

working class by showing how the Birlings and Gerald Croft are

involved in making a young working class girl's life a misery.

Act one begins by introducing the characters and presents a seemingly

happy united family looking forward to the future with a degree of

confidence. Arthur Birling is having an enjoyable celebration where he

produces many speeches and predictions. Mr Birling opens the play with

"You ought to like this port, Gerald. As a matter of fact, Finchley

told me it's exactly the same port your father gets from him."

Birling's first line of dialogue, shows him trying to impress Gerald,

as Gerald's father is of a higher class than the Birling family and

also to climb the social ladder. He views himself as a man of a high

class and uses manipulation to get to the top.

Mr. Birling is full of arrogant declarations such as, "The Titanic /

unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable." The upper classes stood a much

better chance of survival than the lower classes when the Titanic

sank, which is mirrored in 2oth century society. The 1945 audience

knew the fate of the Titanic and so Mr. Birling is immediately

discredited (although his view was shared by many in 1912.) Mr

Birling, like many of the men in 1912, was very pompous and believed

himself to be of a super...

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...ing to be sorry for, nothing to earn. We can all go on

behaving just as we did. Eric is the only other who has been affected

by the Inspector like Sheila, they are the younger generation and are

both sorry for their faults, and are very likely to change their view

of themselves thereby reducing the divide between lower and upper

class people, as they realise how the both abused their position in

society. Mr Birling and Mr Croft represent Priestley's criticism for

businessmen who are only interested in making money and social

climbing. Mr and Mrs Birling and Croft will never alter their ways

even after the Inspector has exposed their true natures. However

Priestley does convey a sense of hope for the younger generation who

learn from their mistakes and challenge society's class divide because

of the Inspectors dealings.