An Inspector Calls - Character and Quote Analysis Flashcards

Vocabulary and quote-analysis flashcards based on lecture notes for Priestley's An Inspector Calls.

"good sport" metaphor

A metaphor showing that Eva Smith is viewed as a game and something to win rather than a human with value, exposing how women were objectified, seen as objects of desire, and exploited by men in the Edwardian era.

"strong disinfectant" metaphor

A metaphor for Eva cleansing herself of the corruption she was forced to swallow through upper-class exploitation and the effects of Capitalism, evoking audience sympathy and revealing the problems of the Edwardian era.

"She was just a girl, but she was the victim of all of you"

Dialogue highlighting Eva's status as a victim of societal failures whose youth and gender made her powerless and viewed as less capable, while "all of you" demonstrates the theme of Social responsibility.

"girl" (Term of address)

A term of address used by Mr Birling, Mrs Birling, and Gerald that infantilises, belittles, and reduces Eva to a child who can be controlled, exposing how the upper class view the working class as inferior.

"pink and intimate"

Adjectives describing the setting, symbolizing the Birlings' blissful ignorance, optimistic rose-tinted perspective, and false, comfortable world before their collective guilt is revealed.