an inspector calls - quotes (act i)

His wife.. and her husband's social superior (themes)

class

His wife.. and her husband's social superior (context)

mr. birling’s factory was a success since he had created his factory during the second industrial revolution.

His wife.. and her husband's social superior (analysis)

Mrs. Birling is described as Mr. Birling’s social superior as she had been born into the upper class, while he was from the middle class. While he was born into the middle class, he has worked very hard to built everything he has and as a result is a very proud man.

**Birling:** half-civilised folks in the balkans (theme)

bro idk either

**Birling:** half-civilised folks in the balkans (context)

Refers to WWI that is going to take place two years after the year that the play is set in

**Birling:** half-civilised folks in the balkans (analysis)

this quotation shows racism when describing them as ‘half-civilised’ but it also refers back to WWI and how it was going to break out in the near future for

**birling:** as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive (theme)

socialism

**birling:** as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive (context)

none that i can think of

**birling:** as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive (analysis)

quotation shows mr. birling’s capitalist beliefs and how everyone should take care of those in their family, but not everyone else

**birling:** we’ve several hundred young women there (themes)

class

**birling:** we’ve several hundred young women there (context)

this reflects how the upper classes think about the younger classes

**birling:** we’ve several hundred young women there (analysis)

mr. birling shows how he doesn’t think of the girls working in his factory as actual people, but either as an extension of the machines they work for or just as a way for him to continue his business. he doesn’t care about the wellbeing of his employees and only actually care about whether or not his business ends up thriving

**birling:** i can’t accept any responsibility (themes)

moral responsibility, class

**birling:** i can’t accept any responsibility (analysis)

mr. birling believes that he could not accept any responsibility as he had ‘only’ fired her from her job and that happened two years before her suicide. he stated that if everyone was responsible for each other, then everything would end up being awkward, showing his capitalist beliefs and how everyone is responsible for themselves.

**birling:** i refused of course (theme)

inequality

**birling:** i refused of course (analysis)

mr. birling believes that the girls bad at managing money and as a result is why they’re broke and have to work in his factory

**birling:** i refused of course (context)

shows the selfishness and capitalism from the upper class in how they are unwilling to help the lower classes

**birling:** did you say ‘why’? (theme)

class

**birling:** did you say ‘why’? (analysis)

birling is trying to point out that the inspector is not a businessman

**birling:** did you say ‘why’? (context)

the upper class do not believe that the working class would understand anything about business because they are ultimately do not own any businesses of their own

**birling:** i didn’t suppose you did (theme)

class

**birling:** i didn’t suppose you did (analysis)

use of sarcasm

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implying that golf is not in the inspector’s social class.

**birling:** i didn’t suppose you did (context)

back in 1912, and still today, people from the lower classes would not play golf (regularly) since it is a costly sport.

**birling:** i was quite justified (theme)

hypocrisy

**birling:** i was quite justified (analysis)

he had just stated that he could accept responsibility, but then immediately stated that he was justified in everything he did. this makes it seem like as if he was starting to accept the responsibility of his actions to some degree, but still would not admit it.

**birling:** we were having a nice family celebration.. nasty mess you’ve made of it now (theme)

inequality, class

**birling:** we were having a nice family celebration.. nasty mess you’ve made of it now (analysis)

here he shows how his family dinner is more important than the death of a girl. however, the response mr. birling would have would be very different if eva smith was from a higher social class

**birling:** we were having a nice family celebration.. nasty mess you’ve made of it now (context)

links back to how the upper classes are shallow and the degree of which they would care about someone is linked to the persons social class

**eva smith:** she had to go (theme)

inequality

**eva smith:** she had to go (analysis)

though mr. birling recognises that eva smith was a hard worker, but she caused trouble and had too much to say, so he had to fire her

**eva smith:** she changed to daisy renton (theme)

inequality

**eva smith:** she changed to daisy renton (analysis)

eva smith had unfairly gotten fired from two of her jobs and she was unable to find another other steady jobs from then on. but since she had to make ends meet, she had to change her name and become a prostitute.

**inspector:** a chain of events (theme)

socialism

**inspector:** a chain of events (analysis)

use of foreshadowing.

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all the characters cause a chain of events that are all interlinked via. eva smith

**inspector:** very awkward (theme)

i dunno bro

**inspector:** very awkward (analysis)

use of sarcasm

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the awkwardness is what the inspector brings to the entire play and delivers to the birlings and gerald

**inspector:** it’s better to ask for the earth than to take it (theme)

inequality

**inspector:** it’s better to ask for the earth than to take it (analysis)

implying capitalists are taking the world.

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links to the ‘if you take an inch, you’ll take a mile’ idiom

**inspector:** she changed her name to daisy renton (themes)

class, inequality

**inspector:** she changed her name to daisy renton (analysis)

in order to obtain a source of income, eva smith had to become a prostitute, and for that, she changed her name from eva smith to daisy renton. but this wouldn’t have had happened if mr. birling didn’t fire her, or if sheila didn’t get her fired from milward’s.

**inspector:** so after two months, with no work, no money coming in, and living in lodgings with no relatives to help her, few friends. lonely, half-starved, she was feeling desperate (theme)

inequality

**inspector:** so after two months, with no work, no money coming in, and living in lodgings with no relatives to help her, few friends. lonely, half-starved, she was feeling desperate (analysis)

the inspector was listing to show just how desperate and helpless eva smith was

**eric:** i left ‘em talking about clothes again.. women are potty about ‘em (theme)

inequality

**eric:** i left ‘em talking about clothes again.. women are potty about ‘em (analysis)

this sexist comment made by eric reflects the inequalities women had faced back in the 1910s, and how they were supposed to marry well. in addition to have little to no thoughts of their own and only caring about things like clothes.

**eric:** unless eric’s been up to something (theme)

dont ask me idk

**eric:** unless eric’s been up to something (analysis)

use of foreshadowing.

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this is said by gerald and is meant to be a joke, but it’s ironic but it’s because it’s the truth.

**gerald:** too manly to be a dandy.. well-bred (theme)

class

**gerald:** too manly to be a dandy.. well-bred (analysis)

describing gerald as ‘well-bred’ links back to his social class and how he was born into the upper class

**sheila:** is it the one you wanted me to have? (theme)

class

**sheila:** is it the one you wanted me to have? (analysis)

sheila shows how she has no say in what she wants in her relationship with gerald, as he is from a higher class and he is a man, in full control of the relationship

**sheila:** pretty? (theme)

inequality

**sheila:** pretty? (analysis)

sheila is presented to be a character with shallow opinions and views. the first thing she asked the inspector about eva smith was if she looked pretty, which shows where her values lie. though, if the inspector had responded that she was ugly, it is likely that sheila wouldn’t have felt as bad for her since her values lie with someones physical attributes which is why she’s the physicality power in the play.

**sheila:** pretty? (context)

sheila is presented this way since she’s a woman from the upper class and is therefore not expected to have any thoughts of her own

**sheila:** but these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people (themes)

generational divide, inequality

**sheila:** but these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people (analysis)

unlike mr. birling, sheila recognises that the girls working in his factory are actual human beings and not just his employees. while mr. birling doesn’t realise this, sheila does due to the generation gap between them. sheila believes that mr. birling was in the wrong for firing eva smith especially since that was her source of income.

**sheila:** miserable plain little creature (theme)

inequality

**sheila:** miserable plain little creature (analysis)

linking back to when sheila asked the inspector if eva smith was pretty, this once again shows her shallow views that are a part of her personality. instead of referring to the personality as miserable, she is referring to the person’s looks. through the link of the two words ‘miserable’ and ‘plain’, it is like she merged the meanings together in that if you aren’t pretty and you look like the social norm, then you are automatically miserable.

**sheila:** i was there this afternoon - for your benefit (theme)

inequality

**sheila:** i was there this afternoon - for your benefit (analysis)

links back to the ring gerald gave sheila, how women from that time period were meant to act. the reason for why she went to milward’s was to look pretty, but the only reason she had to look pretty was for a man. she had no reason to look pretty for herself, and she was living to be pretty to marry well.

**sheila:** i couldn’t be sorry for her (theme)

inequality

**sheila:** i couldn’t be sorry for her (analysis)

links back to sheila’s obsession over how people look. since sheila recalls how eva smith was indeed pretty, she remembers how she thought that she would be able to take care of herself. and to add on the fact that she was pretty, sheila felt as if she was unable to feel bad for her, in a sort of attempt to justify how she got eva smith fired from her job at milward’s. the use of the modal verb “couldn’t” suggests that sheila is potentially not as nice as she might seem or that she is unable to feel bad for eva smith since she was never expected to feel bad for those from a lower social class than her and therefore never learnt

**sheila:** i couldn’t be sorry for her (context)

the upper class is mostly capitalist dominated, which makes them teach the younger generation to not feel bad for their actions towards the people from lower classes in comparison to their own social class.