Themes and Meanings In An Inspector Calls

Themes and Meanings In An Inspector Calls

The play is set two years before the outbreak of the first world war

(1914-1918). The play was first performed in 1945 looking back at the

Edwardian era. In the Edwardian era England was very secure, still had

it's empire the best navy in the world and it was very wealthy. There

was no welfare estate - so some wealthy people prospered - poor and

not.

Priestley thought this was a serious fault in society.

When the play was performed in1945 the world was very different. Two

World Wars had occured and the Titanic had sunk. Also a bomb had been

used for the first time. During the second world war there was

evacuation and air raid shelters where people of all classes were

thrown together. Many young people who fought in the war were

determined that after it the world would be a better place. So in 1945

in the general election a labour government was elected and they

intended to make lots of social and economic forms. In fact within a

few years the welfare state was born.

The play asks to what extent Eva Smith's tragedy can be blamed on the

society in which she lived. A society which rewarded rich men who

exploited the poor for profit and used women for their pleasure.

The inspector is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit

of the period. He is tall and clean shaven. Inspector Goole is an

imposing character and because of this he is able to get the others to

say things and show their guilt. There is something unusual about him,

even his name suggests this. This could mean that he acts as a force

to make the characters examine their conscience and get them to

change. The Insp...

... middle of paper ...

... weakest

members. This is the opposite to Mr. and Mrs. Birling who believe in

looking after themselves and that others should do the same. The

Inspector also says that people should be open to change, as we see

with the younger characters in the play. Priestley gives the same

message to the audience and that people should take care of each

other, not just themselves. Priestley chose to write the play as a

detective play because through suspense people become interested. In

this way attention is paid to the important questions he raises. The

play was set at a time when older people were about to send innocent

young men to their deaths in the first world war. The play was written

around the time of the second world war and so Priestley had in mind

the themes of being responsible for providing the moral of the play.