Why Is Arthur Birling At The Beginning Of Act One In An Inspector Calls

“An Inspector Calls” is a play written by J.B. Priestley in 1945. The play, which is set in 1912, illustrates the vast status difference in society at the time. Gerald Croft is a typical upper-class man, who already has his future carved out for him. He is the son of a wealthy businessman, who, in time will eventually hand the business over to him. However, being brought up in the upper class has made Gerald oblivious to the strife of the lower classes. He is content with his life and so does not care for anyone else.

Mr Birling and the Inspector have opposing political views. This is evident when Mr Birling says, “You’ll apologize at once … I’m a public man –” and the Inspector replies, “Public men, Mr Birling have responsibilities as well as privileges.” The Inspector is challenging Mr Birling’s authority, taking control of the situation and ‘massively’ silencing him, shutting down the argument. This shows that the Inspector has a great deal of power over Mr Birling. The Inspector sees ‘responsibilities’ and ‘privileges’ as being linked, whereas Mr Birling does not. Here, Priestley emphasises Mr Birling’s failure to see that with his public position, there comes a duty of responsibility to

The Birlings are at home, celebrating Sheila Birling’s engagement to Gerald Croft, the son of Mr. Birling’s business competitor. In attendance are Arthur's wife Sybil and their adult children Sheila and Eric. There is a light atmosphere, and the people all chatter lively. Gerald produces a ring and shows it to Sheila, who immediately wears it with joy. Mr. Birling starts to make a speech talking about self-reliance, but soon, the speech has transformed into a business themed one.

In the play “The inspector calls” written by Presley, the story is set in 1912, and describes a family in the middle class. Eric, the son of Mr. Birling is one of the key characters in the play

In the book The Inspector Calls, the character of Mr Arthur Birling is portrayed as the owner of his company ‘Birling and Co’ which means that he is the breadwinner so also head of the household looking after his family; his children Sheila and Gerald, as well as his wife Mrs Birling. He is also well known for previously being the Mayor so this gives the reader an impression that he is a well respected, popular and highly knowledgeable man. Mr Birling has strong political views and his beliefs highly linked with Capitalism and the right wing side.

The cowhide seating and beige covering are made for resting and comfort. The comfortable triviality was both risible and consoling for the audience putting them at ease. The large sofa in the middle of the stage presents a centre focus for the piece where the most action and dialogue take place. The use of this prop alludes to the idea of the family and the bond that these brothers share with each other and their father. A scene that readily gives context and some history to the sofa was best seen at dinner time. All four of the family members squeezed onto the couch as they had done every Christmas time. By doing this, the family atmosphere was more firmly created, as well as endorsing different conversational tones and directing each actor’s words more inwards towards the other family

“An Inspector Calls” is originally a play by J B Priestley in 1945, and has been represented in a variety of diverse ways, as a book, a play and many films.

The play ‘An Inspector Calls’ is set in the North Midlands, the industrial city of Brumley in 1912. The play revolves around the death of a young girl named Eva Smith and the wealthy, middle class Birling family. The Birling family consists of four main members. In addition, there is Gerald Croft who is engaged to the daughter of the family, Sheila Birling, and the maid Edna who plays a small role in the play.

In An Inspector Calls, JB Priestley uses the character of Mrs Birling to portray a typical higher-class woman. On multiple occasions in the play, Mrs Birling (Sybil) is presented as dismissive and a snob. This behaviour is evident from the very start of the play where she tells off her husband for thanking the chef in front of a guest, Gerald. She says “Arthur, you’re not supposed to say such things.” This authoritative tone from Mrs Birling shows that she takes pride in her social respectability and so wants her whole family to not ruin it.

J B Priestley's Main Ideas in An Inspector Calls In the play "The Inspector Calls" by J B Priestley many views are put forward for the audience to contemplate. Priestly uses the characters to portray the views and changes that were happening and going to in the time when the play was set 1912. Mr Birling & Mrs Birling are a classic example of the typical upper-class citizens.

An Inspector Calls is a three-act drama, which takes place on a single night in 1912, and focuses on the Birling family, who live in a wealthy but not particulary homely house in Brumley. The story begins when the mysterious Inspector Goole calls unexpectedly on the prosperous Birling family. The idea of the play, and particularly the role of the inspector, is to try to bring the Birling family to understand that they have a moral responsibility for the death of Eva Smith, if not a legal one. In Act Three, the Inspector tells the Birling family: “The girl killed herself and died a horrible death. But each of you helped to kill her. Remember that. Never forget it.” But who was really the

An inspector calls is a play which is used as a warning illustrates the clear division between higher and lower class but also between the two different generations. When we are first introduced to Mr Birling and Eric it is apparent that neither of them enjoy each others company and that they do not sustain a healthy father son relationship. Both character have different priorities as Mr Birling chooses business and welfare over his son, whilst Eric chooses drinking over socialising with his family. Mr Birling, a very conceited man, illustrates the greed of wealth and reputation in the higher class society, so much so that he pushed his son away to allow his future son-in-law Gerald to take main priority.

But then the inspector comes in and gradually shows them how wrong Birling is and how we should feel and show responsibility for one another. In the play the Inspector conveys Priestly message that everyone should take responsibility instead of pushing it aside. He expresses this clearly when he interrogates each of them. ‘A nice little promising life there, I thought, and a nasty mess somebody’s made of it’.

Priestley's presentation of Inspector Goole is deceptively complex due to the mystery and intrigue that surrounds the character. Form, language and structure are all effectively used to create an interesting character. In this essay, I will explore numerous aspects of Inspector Goole’s character, from his relationship to Arthur Birling to his religious significance and omniscience. Inspector Calls was written in 1945 but is set in 1912, 2 years before the First World War. The play was also first launched in communist Russia, despite it being written as a social commentary on capitalist Britain.

In his play, An Inspector Calls, JB Priestley explores numerous ideas of responsibility. Priestley utilizes the setting of the play (1912) when socio-economic disparity between the upper and working class was high, and juxtaposes it with the social context of when the play was performed (1945), when aspects of socialism were growing rapidly in Britain. This creates dramatic irony and reflects the view of audiences first attending the play. He achieves this by using the mysterious nature of Inspector Goole, who pressures the upper-class Birling family to admit responsibility for the death of Eva Smith (a working class woman), to embody socialist Britain; exploiting the affluent and pompous Mr Birling to represent the unwillingness of Capitalism