an inspector calls - key quotations

mr birling - “the titanic ... unsinkable”

• hyperbole shows how out of touch he is

• he is blind to the struggles of the working class

mr birling - “it's my duty to keep labour costs down”

• dehumanises eva by calling her ‘labour’

• shows how businessmen exploited workers

mr birling - “famous younger generation”

• refuses to change by the end of the play

• mocks the younger generation for wanting social change

sheila - “these girls aren't cheap labour”

• shows she is more humane than her father

• sympathises with working-class women

sheila - “i started it”

• takes responsibility for her actions

• priestley wanted the birlings to learn from their mistakes

sheila - “nothing to be sorry for, nothing to learn”

• disgusted by her parents celebrating that the inspector wasn't real

• shows she has learned and changed

gerald - “we’re respectable citizens and not criminals”

• ironic because his treatment of daisy was immoral

• shows hypocrisy of the upper class

gerald - “the most important person in her life”

• liked the power he had over daisy

• discarded her when it suited him

gerald - “what girl? … four or five different girls”

• dismissive of daisy and her suffering

• only cares about protecting himself

mrs birling - “girls of that class”

• more loyal to her class than her gender

• diminutive noun ‘girls’ shows she looks down on working-class women

mrs birling - “impersonally made use of our name”

• distances herself from daisy

• justifies refusing help by blaming the poor

mrs birling - “you might be wanting to help him instead of us”

• ‘us’ vs ‘him’ shows she sees working-class people as outsiders

eric - “half shy, half assertive”

• withdrawn but also secretive

• foreshadows his hidden dark side

eric - “i don’t even remember - that’s the hellish thing”

• admits to raping daisy

• shows his extreme selfishness

eric - “you lot may be letting yourselves out nicely, but i can’t “

• informal language shows he feels like an outsider

• more willing to accept responsibility than his parents

inspector - “a young woman died … she was in great agony”

• voice for women like eva and daisy

• forces the birlings to confront the consequences of their actions

inspector - public men … have responsibilities

• priestley’s message about social responsibility

• upper classes must take care of the poor

inspector - “millions and millions and millions of eva smiths and john smiths”

• represents all the poor who need

• he reminds the audience that change is still needed