The Ending of J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls Essay

Birlings' house. He is said to "need not be a big man but he creates

see that this is true by looking at his speech and at the manner in

At the end of the play, he knows he has lost the chance of his knighthood, his reputation and the chance of Birling and CO merging with their rivals. However, he has not learned the lesson of the play: he is unable to admit his responsibility for his part in Eva's death.

In the play An Inspector Calls, Priestley uses different characters to portray women. At the start of the play, Sheila is seen as fragile, materialistic and inferior to the men in her life, which is typically the view of higher-class women. This is followed by the perspective of lower class women having excellent morals yet being disposable, which is seen through Eva Smith’s character. This contradicts to Mrs Birling’s control on others and her strong social class views.

Priestley’s Main Aim in An Inspector Calls JB Priestly wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’ to enhance the message that ‘we don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other’. This is something Priestly felt strongly about and he succeeded in representing his views through the character of the Inspector in the play itself.

The play "An Inspector Calls" was written by J.B Priestley in 1945, when the British people were recovering from over six years of constant warfare and danger. As a result of two world wars, class distinctions were greatly reduced and women had achieved a much higher place in society. It was due to this and a great desire for social change that Labour's Clement Attlee won a landslide victory over the conservative Winston Churchill. He nationalized the gas steel and electrical industries, established the NHS and introduced the Welfare State. The play was set in Brumley, a fictional industrial city, in 1912.The playwright believed passionately in the left wing perspective and his message is overtly political. He uses techniques such as

he a question he will now answer it, he will just ask a question back.

"We don't live alone. We are all members of one body. We are responsible for each other."

In the play 'An Inspector Calls', many contrasts and paradox's are present and at the centre of them all is the character known as Inspector Goole. However, the inspector is not any ordinary inspector. I believe that the inspector is used as a device by Priestley to explore the wider themes of the play and to depict other characters true personalities. This essay will explore some of the techniques Priestley presents the inspector in An Inspector Calls.

Her grandmother treats her badly. She acts as if Ellen is to blame for her daughter's death. This is how Ellen describes the beginning of hers’ and her grandmother’s relationship, “My mama’s mama picked me up in her long car that was like the undertaking car only hers was cream. I told Roy and Julia on more time I did not need to go. If we have to live together the least you could do is talk to me like you know I am in your car is what I thought to say to her. I figured she would warm up to me. But all she asked on the way to her house was when does school start again? Lord it just ended and I sure am looking forward to the summer at your house I said for the icebreaker. I asked you when school starts. I do not need the commentary is what she said back to me hot. So September. I said September. I said my answer quick and on time like the army way. I saluted in my head.” {P. 61}

command at the end of Act I and the start of Act 2, and the end of Act

A number of other issues that were around at the time the play was set

For instance, it is as if he is waiting for everyone to confess to his

She tries to convince that it’s wrong to kill her because she has suffered slavery when she was away and there wasn’t any of her mistake because Paris forced to take her.

life that Eva/ Dais is forced to lead as a result of the actions of