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Different Attitudes and Perceptions Between Generations in the Play An Inspector Calls

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Different Attitudes and Perceptions Between Generations in the Play An Inspector Calls Works cited Missing J.B. Priestly's play 'An Inspector Calls', written in 1945, is set in the spring of 1912 in the household of an upper middle class family in the north of England. The plot of the play is based around the Birling family's involvement in a young woman's suicide and the tensions, which are created between characters by the arrival of the mysterious Inspector Goole. The different generations in the play are represented by Sybil and Arthur Birling on the one hand and on the other their children …show more content…

Arthur is not upset, unlike Eric, when he hears about Eva's death. He had employed her in one of his factories and had sacked her 18 months previously when she had helped organise a workers strike for more pay. Mr Birling believed that he had done the right thing since it was his '…duty to keep labour costs down.' (p.15). When the inspector accused him off starting off a chain of events, which led to the death of Eva Smith, Mr Birling replies '…I can't accept any responsibility. 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.' (p.14). Mrs Birling is described as '…about fifty, a rather cold woman and her husband's social superior. She has the coldness and arrogance typical of women of her status and attitudes to match. Sybil believed that a woman's role was based around the home and that women shouldn't question their husband's authority. She says to Sheila 'When you are married you'll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend all their time and effort on their business.' (p.3). Her attitude towards the younger generation is somewhat dismissive as typified by the way she treats her daughter Sheila. 'I

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