An Inspector Calls Key Quotes

Act 1 pg 4 Mr Birling

“For lower costs and higher prices”

Act 1 pg 5 Sheila

“Its perfect. Now I really feel engaged”

Act 1 pg 6 Mr Birling

“I speak as a hard-headed business man”, “I’m talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business.”

-Egotistical and prideful

-Ironic, claims he is intelligent yet makes a fool of himself to audience through dramatic irony

Act 1 pg 6/7 Mr Birling

“Fiddlesticks! The Germans don’t want war.”

“And all these silly little war scares”

-Dramatic irony, portrays him as a shallow and foolish upperclassman

Act 1 pg 7 Mr Birling

“Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”

-Foolish, completely wrong due to context

Act 1 pg 8 Mr Birling

“I might find my way into the next Honours List. Just a knighthood of course.”

-Prideful, trying extremely hard to impress Gerald

-obsessed with class and power, completely dissociated from the suffering he causes to the working class

Act 1 pg 8 Mr Birling

“So long as we behave ourselves, don’t get into the police court or start a scandal - eh?”

-foreshadowing the inspector’s arrival, dramatic irony

Act 1 pg 10 Mr Birling

“Like bees in a hive - community and all that nonsense”

Act 1 pg 10 Mr Birling

“A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own - and -“

• Personification of capitalism, selfish and refuses to help others

• Interrupted by Inspector ringing doorbell, power in household is challenged

Act 1 pg 11 Inspector

“He creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness”

• Powerful and commanding aura, challenges Mr Birling’s Upper-Class authority

• Acts as a force of socialism and righteousness, exposes the Birling’s wrongdoings

• So tuff

Act 1 pg 11 Inspector

“Burnt her inside out, of course.”

• Eva was emotionally destroyed by the Birlings before she killed herself, metaphor

Act 1 pg 12 Inspector

(Cutting through, massively)

• Asserts himself and dominates Mr Birling, mogs him

• Massive?

Act 1 pg 12 Mr Birling

“I can’t accept any responsibility”

• Detached from his despicable actions, stubborn

Act 1 pg 14 Mr Birling

“She was a lively looking girl”

• Specifically remembers her attractiveness, shows lack of humanisation for women in Edwardian Era

Act 1 pg 15 Mr Birling

“They could go and work somewhere else. It’s a free country, I told them.”

• Country is not free, class divide was extreme and if you were born in poverty it was near impossible to become wealthier

• Shallow-minded and lacking empathy

Act 1 pg 15 Birling + Inspector

“Rubbish! If you don’t come down harshly on some of these people, they’d soon be asking for the earth”

“They might. But after all it’s better to ask for the earth than to take it.”

Act 1 pg 16 Inspector

“(dryly) I don’t play golf.”

• Aura farming

• Challenges and dismisses Birling’s attempt to regain control of the situation

• Antithesis of Birling, does not care for golf, a common sport for the rich and wealthy

• Does not care about class or power, sees everyone equally and cannot be intimidated

Act 1 pg 16 Eric

“Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices.”

• Few lines from Eric early on, is silenced repeatedly and treated like a child

• Younger generation agrees with the inspector’s ideas and is the only member to feel sympathy for Eva

Act 1 pg 18 Sheila

“Pretty?”

• Shallow, immediately asks about Eva’s appearance and only cares about physical objects

• Vain, rushes to compare herself to Eva and other women

• Influenced by societal standards of beauty on women, cares greatly about how people look

Act 1 pg 19 Sheila

“I think it was a mean thing to do. Perhaps that spoilt everything for her.”

“It’s a rotten shame.”

• Childish vocabulary “mean” , “spoilt everything”

• Innocent and oblivious to what she has done, undertakes how serious the situation is

Act 1 pg 19 Sheila

“But these girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people.”

• Younger generation is more sympathetic and sees the suffering caused by the upper class

• Humanises Eva and the working class as Eva is voiceless

Act 1 pg 24 Sheila

“She was the right type for it, just as I was the wrong type. She was a very pretty girl too - with big dark eyes -and that didn’t make it any better.”

• Extremely jealous and angry that Eva is prettier than her

• Impulsive and foolish, was unable to understand the gravity of her actions at the time

• Petty, cruel to Eva

- and that

Act 1 pg 24 Inspector

“(Harshly) Yes, but you can’t. It’s too late. She’s dead.”

• Places great importance in Eva’s death, makes it clear that Sheila is responsible

Act 1 pg 25 Inspector

“So first she changed her name to Daisy Renton-“

• Daisy - Flowers are pretty but inanimate, shows her dehumanisation by society

• Renton - Worked as a prostitute, ‘rented’ her body for money, desperate to the point that she would lose her dignity to survive

Act 1 pg 26 Sheila

“(Laughs rather hysterically) Why - you fool - he knows. Of course he knows.”

• Sheila shows a hint of admiration and bewilderment of the Inspector, start of her transition to socialism

• Inspector is omniscient, a force of truth, supernatural (Goole = Ghoul)

• Sheila becomes hysterical, feels extremely guilty unlike Birling who is apathetic, shows her childishness and inability to control her emotions

Act 2 pg 29 Inspector

“(Sternly to them both) You see, we have to share something. If there’s nothing else, we’ll have to share our guilt.”

• Idea of sharing, Inspector is rooted in socialism and community

• Foreshadows that everyone is guilty

guilt

Act 2 pg 30 Mrs Birling

• “I don’t suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class-“

• Cold and detached, no responsibility

• Believes she is superior to working class, unable to empathise

• “A trifle impertinent”

• Posh and stuck-up, makes a fool of upper class and tries to show superiority to no avail

Act 2 pg 33 Sheila

• “No, he’s giving us the rope - so that we’ll hang ourselves”

• Aware of Inspector’s supernatural power and omniscience

• References suicide, Birlings’ denial of responsibility will give them the same fate as Eva

• Sheila cares about Eva, accepts responsibility and matures

Act 2 pg 34 Gerald

• “It’s a favourite haunt of women of the town-“

• Refers to prostitutes, shunned by society due to loss of innocence, Gerald is involved with sinners

• Womanizer who takes advantage of prostitutes, but reputation is not affected, shows power of men and upper class in patriarchal society, only prostitutes are looked down on but not the men who sleep with them

Act 2 pg 35 Gerald

• “She looked young and fresh and charming”

• Eva is voiceless, working class and women lacked power

• Gerald objectifies her for her looks, describes her like a crop ready for harvest

Act 2 pg 36 Inspector

• “And then you decided to keep her - as your mistress?”

• Inspectors sees through Gerald’s attempt to portray himself as heroic

• Gerald both helps and uses Eva, debatable wether he is a bad character

Act 2 pg 41 Inspector

• “(massively) Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges.”

• Stresses the importance of responsibility to Mr Birling

• Asserts dominance and controls the room

Act 2 pg 42 Mrs Birling

• “We’ve done a great deal of useful work in helping deserving cases”

• Discriminates against people seeking help, only helps people who can improve her reputation, does not care about the charity

Act 2 pg 43 Mr/Mrs Birling

• Mrs : “She called herself Mrs Birling(…) that was one of the things that prejudiced me against her case.”

• Mr : “Damned impudence!”

• Shallow and cruel, care more about Eva using their name and their reputation than her suffering

• Mrs Birling is shameless in her cruelty, admits to prejudice and openly shows distain to working class

• Mr Birling only cares when their public image is mentioned, portentous and narrow-minded

Act 2 pg 43 Mrs Birling

• “I’m very sorry. But I think she had only herself to blame.”

• Disillusioned, apathetic and incapable of any remorse, upper class are sociopathic and live oblivious to the suffering they cause

Act 2 pg 44 Mrs Birling

• “I consider I did my duty”

• “You have no power to make me change my mind”

• Extremely stubborn and apathetic, no guilt and so egotistical she thinks she did not do anything wrong

Act 2 pg 45 Mrs Birling

• “Go and look for the father of the child. It’s his responsibility.”

• Dramatic irony, Eric is the father, insults and belittles her son unknowingly

• Refuses responsibility despite the power she has, upper class is greedy and selfish

Act 2 pg 45 Mr Birling

• “It isn’t going to do us much good. The press might take it up—“

• No empathy for Eva and has no problem with Mrs Birling’s cruelty

• Vain, cares more for his public image, self-centred, personifies upper class

Act 2 pg 46 Inspector

• “(very sternly) Her position now is that she lies with a burnt-out inside on a slab.”

• Keeps Eva’s death fresh in everybody’s minds, makes them feel guilty and reminds them of her gruesome death

• Stern like a teacher, has come to teach the Birlings a lesson and takes charge

• Theme of death and gore, shows the pain and suffering caused by the Birlings

Act 2 pg 47 Mrs Birling

• “As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!”

• Displays prejudice and hatred, belittles working class and thinks of them as desperate subhumans

• Disrespects Eva openly with no shame or regret

Act 2 pg 48 Mrs Birling

• “Some drunken young idler”

• “He should be made an example of”

• “He’d be entirely responsible”

• Insults and belittles Eric again, dramatic irony, shows her true feelings about her son, unloving

• Willing to blame her own son instead of herself, selfish and protective of her reputation

Act 3 pg 50 Eric

• “You know, don’t you?”

• First line of Act 3

• Eric recognises Inspector’s omniscience

• Younger generation is more mature and honest

Act 3 pg 52 Eric

• “I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty”

• Impulsive and short-tempered

• Drunk and irresponsible

Act 3 pg 52 Eric

• “I wasn’t in love with her or anything - but I liked her - she was pretty and a good sport—“

• Takes advantage of Eva when she was vulnerable

• Objectifies her and uses her for his own pleasure, highlights the animalistic behaviour of men in patriarchal society

Shows how women were viewed as pretty objects by men and society, Eva not valued as human by Eric and is disrespected

Act 3 pg 53 Eric

• “she treated me - as if i were a kid.”

• Everyone treats Eric like a child, even Eva

• Eric is seen as unmanly and ungentlemanly, opposite of Gerald

Act 3 pg 54 Birling

• “I’ve got to cover this up as soon as I can.”

• Keen to hide all his wrongdoings instead of taking responsibility, desperately holds onto his reputation

• Scolds Eric like a child, both parents do so and blame him instead of themselves, selfish

Act 3 pg 54 Eric

• “Because you’re not the kind of father a chap could go to when he is in trouble”

• Highlights the strained relationship between Eric and his parents

• Mr and Mrs Birling are cold and emotionally disconnected from Eric, shows the shallowness of upper class even to their own children

Act 3 pg 55 Eric

• “You killed her (…) you turned her away (…) your own grandchild - you killed them both”

• Eric shows his explosive temper and is deeply remorseful for Eva’s death unlike the others

• Repetition of “you” shows Eric’s initial shift of blame to Mrs Birling and anger at his mother’s cruelty

Act 3 pg 55 Inspector

• “But each of you helped to kill her. Remember that. Never forget it.”

• Re-assigns blame to all of them, reminds them of what they have done

• Teaches them of their wrongdoings

Act 3 pg 56 Birling

• “Look, Inspector - I’d give thousands - yes, thousands —“

• Still showing no remorse or care for Eva Smith

• Capitalist, obsessed with his wealth and class and thinks money can fix his cruel actions

Act 3 pg 56 Inspector

• “There are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives”

• Promotes socialism, recognises the suffering of the working class, clarifies the responsibility the upper class has to help them

• “Eva Smith” is a generic name used by Priestley to show the overall suffering of the working class and send a message to the wealthy audience

Act 3 pg 56 Inspector

• “We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.”

• Inspector symbolises socialism and empathy by defending Eva Smith

• Juxtaposes the Birlings, a rich capitalist family, and converts Eric and Sheila to socialism

Act 3 pg 56 Inspector

• “If men will mot learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.”

• Socialism is the solution to suffering and is a force of good

• Capitalism is the root problem, and if it is not abandoned then society will suffer greatly

• Fire and blood and agony - hints at World War 1 and 2 which occur soon after the story is set, suggests they were caused by capitalism, greed and selfishness

• Capitalism = War, Socialism = Peace

Act 3 pg 57 Mr Birling

• “I was almost certain for a knighthood in the next Honours List —“

• Birling is vain and apathetic, still only cares about his reputation

• Learns nothing from Inspector, stubborn older generation refuses to change

• Ignores Eva Smith’s death, still a Capitalist

Act 3 pg 64 Eric

• “The girl’s still dead isn’t she? Nobody’s brought her to life, have they?”

• Eric shows empathy unlike the others, is most guilty yet also the most responsible

• Younger generation is more socialist and mature than older generation, ironic

Act 3 pg 70 Mr Birling

• “Just a lot of moonshine”

• “We’ve been hoaxed”

• Eager to relieve himself of responsibility and protect his reputation, cares about nothing else

• Tries to dismiss Inspector, make himself feel big again after being dominated

Act 3 pg 71 Sheila

• “It frightens me the way you talk” x2

• “Fire and blood and anguish”

• Sheila has fully become a socialist and is horrified by the Capitalistic views of her family

• Defends and takes on the role of the Inspector

• Matures greatly from the beginning of the play to the end, converted

• Younger generation is more receptive to different views, able to change unlike older generation

Act 3 pg 72 Mr Birling (final line of dialogue of the play)

• “A girl has just died - on her way to the Infirmary - after swallowing some disinfectant. And a police inspector is on his way here - to ask some - questions —“

• Last line of the play proves Sheila and Eric right, makes a fool of Mr and Mrs Birling

• Shows that capitalism and it’s cruel effects will not go unpunished, they were not hoaxed

• Confirms their horrors and forces them once again to take responsibility for their actions

• Hints that the Inspector is a supernatural being, who is not an Inspector but a force of good trying to make the Birlings take responsibility