The Role of Social Class in Priestly's, An Inspector Calls

J B Priestley uses a variety of theatrical and literary devices such as dramatic irony in this play to present the characters to the audiences in a way that shows they are often deluded or false. The play was set in 1912 but was not written and performed until after World War Two. Priestley’s intention was to make the point that everyone has social responsibilities and that they should fulfil them too. J.B Priestley presents the Inspector as an unusual figure who is a catalyst on stage, eliciting changes in the other characters.

In ‘An Inspector Calls’, social responsibility is the key theme. Priestley is interested in our personal responsibility for our own actions and our collective responsibility to society, to take care of one another. Throughout the play, Priestley explores how the different characters of the Birling family accept social responsibility. Priestley reveals the theme of social responsibility through the character of Sheila.

One way priestly uses the theme of power is to present the theme of authority. There is authority shown between Mr birling and his daughter Sheila. When Mr Birling talks to his daughter Sheila, he talks to her in a manner which suggests that he is a higher hierarchy status than Sheila. In the play Mr Birling says “Be quite Sheila!” This quote supports my point because Mr birling has more power because that’s her father. Also Sheila is a woman and Mr Birling is a man, women had fewer rights than men. During the time in which the book was written women did not have the same right as men. Men were portrayed as more superior than women because of the physical capabilities and men were the one who were working so this made menthe leader, because

Priestley presents The Inspector to the audience as a social activist. His main aim is to teach the Birlings about the insignificance of money and power when it comes being a part of a society. He believes they live in a ‘bubble of capitalism’; oblivious to reality. “We are members of one body” is a powerful phrase used by the Inspector to ‘knock some sense’ into The Birlings, teaching them the importance of community.

The inspector is used very effectively to highlight the corruption and the selfish attitudes of the twentieth century society. Through the Inspector’s final dramatic speech, Priestly skillfully warns the audience of the potential social disasters of failing to support to help those in need. In fact, the inspector acts as a mouthpiece of Priestly projecting his political views. The inspector employs metaphor to explore ideas about social responsibility. In act 3, he warns the Birlings that ‘we are all members of one body’. His suggest our actions affect others. The ‘body’ is especially effective because it implies all parts of society are connected. Therefore the pain in one part of the society will ultimately felt in all the others. This conveys Priestly’s idea that the ruling class ultimately damage themselves by exploiting the lower classes. This idea is reinforced and Mrs Birling effectively killed her own grandchild by denying Eva society. Priestly then suggest social responsibility benefit all tiers of society. Priestly idea that social responsibility is linked to self interest is powerfully presented in the Inspector's parting words. Those do not learn to look after the poor will ‘be taught in fire,blood and anguish’. There are several meanings to this line. Firstly, ‘fire’ has connotations of hell. This suggests the Birlings and by extension the ruling class will suffer for their ‘sins’ poor in the afterlife. Secondly, the term ‘blood and anguish’ may imply the Birlings will suffer through social revolution, with the poor uprising against the capitalist exploiters. Finally, the Inspector’s line many refer to WW2,  when Britain was compelled to put aside class conflict aside to defeat Hitler. Priestly asserts the need for Birlings to take responsibility for the plight of the poor to avoid pain

Priestley uses Mrs Birling to highlight how selfish the upper class are. In Act 3, Mrs birling stresses how “I told him quite plainly...I had done no more than my duty”. This shows that Mrs Birling thinks that despite how she is largely to blame for Eva’s death she is in denial of this in order to avoid a potential scandal that could ruin her family reputation. The excessive use of personal pronouns further conveys to the reader that Mrs Birling only cares about herself. The word “duty” is significant here as it highlights one of the key themes, responsibility.

Not only was there was a substantial gap between the upper and lower class people, but also between the men and women. The 2nd World War was thought to have sealed that gap, as both men from lower and upper-classes went to fight in the wars leaving their jobs vacant to women who needed it. Priestley uses the role of the Inspector as a mouthpiece to convey his ideas of socialism. Mr Birling was ‘almost certain’ he would get the award, however, now, with this infamy he will certainly not! Priestly uses Mr Birling as a voice for capitalism, who is then ridiculed by the inspector, a representative of socialism. Upper class parents in 1912 really did treat their children like infants, despite their age. For instance, when Eric goes out for a drink Mrs Birling refers to him as a ‘boy’ further emphasising that idea. Priestly also uses uneasy laughter and accusations between members of the family, such as “unless Eric has done something”. This shows that Mr Birling is passing the bucket to the other family members as he doesn’t want to lose face to society as he was nominated for an award (which he failed to receive as in the dialogue between Mr Birling and the inspector, the inspector continually twists what Mr Birling says, showing he is the voice of truth, leaving it in suspense. This is a device Priestly often uses to captivate the reader’s interest and to create tension, for example at the end of the play Mr Birling answers the phone to find out that a second inspector is on

An Inspector Calls is a definitive play written by J.B Priestley. Published in 1946, however set in the early years before The First World War, this play explores the many aspects of society that were diminishing during Priestley’s life. It stages, the Birling Family – high class and respected within their society, however frankly their false façade, was slowly stripped away revealing, their inner, hidden, corrupt morals. Whilst having a riveting and uncanny twist, the play does indeed, explore many themes, in which subsequently foreshadowed, Society at that day and age. Priestley portrays a message that still echoes in the world today – everyone should live as a loving community, and all should always take responsibility for the less fortunate. The theme of responsibility plays an important part in the message Priestley preached. Priestley wanted to show us that we have responsibility to others to act fairly and without prejudice and that we do not live in isolation. Our actions do affect others. This is the whole concept of collective responsibility. To show responsibility changes the person in many ways, like it transformed the lives of Eric and Sheila Birling. They had realised, and grew to be more aware of their social responsibilities unlike their impertinent parents. So in this essay, I will be exploring, how the theme of responsibility, plays a major role in lives of the characters, yet the lives of the audience and further generations as well.

Set at the close of the Edwardian Era, J.B. Priestley’s “An Inspector Calls” is a detective story like no other. Premiered in 1945, the play explores the class divide and social hierarchy of early 20th Century Britain, warns of the evils of Capitalism and expresses Priestley’s own Socialist message. As a rich, middle-class family celebrate an engagement, their idyllic world is shattered by the arrival of a police Inspector, investigating the death of a young girl. As the play progresses in real time, each character realises that they are in part responsible for the girl’s demise, and it is their attitudes to this revelation which highlight the social divide between the members of

JB Priestley wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’ in 1945 during the Second World War, however the play was set in 1912 just before World War 1 and the sinking of the Titanic. He did this to show the audience that society wasn’t equal. Both authors write in times that present issues of sexism, racism and social divide between the working class and the upper class. The play was first performed in 1946; Priestley became increasingly aware of social inequality of life in Britain and believed that people should take responsibility for others. Because there was strong distinctions between the upper and lower classes Priestley used the Inspector to portray beliefs of a socialist society. Priestley used the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ to convey a moral message to teach a 1945 audience the theme of responsibility. Wealthy people with a higher status in society had more power, taking advantage of those who were not able to stand up for their rights.

Priestley does this by giving the inspector power to, question each character in the same way ‘socialism’, question people in a higher in a way the his not supposed to make most of the characters accept responsibility for the death and for one another, makes each character have self neglect and by showing the

In the play ‘An Inspector Calls’, Priestley included 2 main themes: the general contrast and responsibility. The first theme: general contrast was perhaps the most applied throughout the play, such as in: the young age vs. the old age, the upper class vs. the lower class, the reality vs. the predictions of the characters, in addition to socialism vs. capitalism. The young characters: Sheila and Eric sympathized passionately with Eva unlike the elders: Gerald, Mr. and Ms. Birling. At an unpredictable move, the young ones turned out to be matured enough to realize their guilt, to the extent of them arguing and shouting at their own narrow-minded parents.

Inspector Goole in - An Inspector Calls – is a very important character in the play as he acts as the voice of Priestley’s views and ideas, that we are all responsible for each other albeit not necessarily explicitly. By the way that Priestley uses the Inspector as an embodiment of a collective conscience the audience is able to clearly understand J.B. Priestley’s socialist idealisms. Prior to the entry of the Inspector, in the first set of stage directions, Priestley is able to foreshadow the profound effect the Inspector will have on the family, as well as us, the audience. ‘The lighting should be pink and intimate until the INSPECTOR arrives, then it should be brighter and harder.’

In ‘An Inspector Calls’, J.B. Priestley’s main idea of collective responsibility embodies the play and is expressed through the views of the Inspector. ‘We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.’ Priestley’s concept of an interdependent society is highly influenced by his experiences. Given that Priestley was part of the army in World War One and was later awarded a place in Cambridge University, he demonstrates a vast understanding of the views of people from different classes and the divide between the upper and lower class.

Furthermore, we would infer that he would empathize for his workers, however, he believes they should experience the same hardship as he did and just insists on his capitalist views. The wedding between Gerald and Sheila, is seen as the beginning of a great business debut, and a sort of contract between Crofts Limited and Birling and Co., where, they will ‘no longer be competing but working together’ for ‘lower costs and higher prices’, which insists once more on his eagerness to earn more money from Crofts limited, as they are a more prestigious company than Birling’s. Mr. Birling’s toast, wishing the couple ‘the very best that life can bring’ suggests that they all believe that their life should naturally be pleasant and superior to others, which leads to the immediate arrogant, and capitalist impressions of Mr. Birling portrayed in the very beginning of act 1. This is Priestley’s ways of preparing us for the contrast we