An Inspector Calls

Q: How is Arthur Birling presented as a symbol of capitalism and complacency?

A: Birling represents the self-interested, profit-driven upper-middle class. Priestley portrays him as arrogant, materialistic, and blind to social responsibility. His optimism about “unsinkable” ships and “no chance of war” makes him a symbol of ignorance and hubris.

Quote: “The Titanic… unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.”

Analysis: Priestley uses dramatic irony to ridicule capitalist confidence and expose the fragility of their moral authority.

Q: How does Sybil Birling embody moral hypocrisy?

A: She maintains a façade of respectability but is cold, prejudiced, and self-righteous. Her refusal to help Eva reveals institutional cruelty hidden under charity.

Quote: “I used my influence to have it refused.”

Analysis: Priestley critiques patriarchal charity as performance, exposing how moral superiority masks exploitation.

Q: What does Sheila represent and how does she change?

A: Sheila evolves from shallow consumerism to moral awareness. She mirrors the younger generation’s capacity for self-reflection and reform.

Quote: “These girls aren’t cheap labour - they’re people.”

Analysis: Priestley uses Sheila’s awakening as a microcosm for societal change; her moral growth offers the play’s hope for socialism.

Q: How does Eric’s story develop Priestley’s moral message?

A: Eric’s reckless behavior exposes the decay beneath upper-class privilege, but his remorse shows potential for change.

Quote: “The fact remains that I did what I did.”

Analysis: Eric embodies moral evolution through guilt - Priestley suggests that awareness and accountability can break cycles of oppression.

Q: Who or what is the Inspector?

A: The Inspector functions as Priestley’s moral voice and dramatic catalyst, blending realism with symbolism. He exposes each character’s complicity and delivers the play’s ethical climax.

Quote: “We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.”

Analysis: The Inspector represents social conscience, collective morality, and perhaps divine or socialist judgment.

Q: How is social responsibility central to the play?

A: Priestley argues that ignoring social responsibility leads to tragedy. Each character’s treatment of Eva reflects their moral stance.

Quote: “If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.”

Analysis: This apocalyptic triad foreshadows World Wars as moral punishment, fusing socialism with prophetic warning.

Q: How does Priestley present class inequality?

A: The play exposes the illusion of class superiority and the exploitation of workers by the wealthy. Eva’s story contrasts dignity and suffering with Birling complacency.

Quote: “She was very pretty - soft brown hair and big dark eyes.”

Analysis: Priestley uses sentimental humanisation of Eva to critique capitalist dehumanisation.

Q: How is gender inequality explored?

A: Women are judged by beauty and behavior, yet Priestley uses female characters to reveal the corruption of patriarchy and consumerism.

Quote: “You mustn’t try to build up a kind of wall between us and that girl.”

Analysis: Sheila becomes a feminist symbol of empathy, dismantling gendered power and class snobbery.

Q: What is Priestley’s view of generational conflict?

A: The younger generation accept responsibility; the older cling to reputation. Priestley presents youth as morally superior and agents of change.

Quote: “The point is, you don’t seem to have learnt anything.”

Analysis: Contrasts between generations mirror post-war Britain’s ideological shift from conservatism to socialism.

Q: How is time used symbolically?

A: Time loops ironically - the Inspector’s visit restarts moral awareness. Priestley structures the play cyclically to suggest history will repeat unless lessons are learned.

Analysis: The final phone call (“A girl has just died”) transforms realism into allegory, blurring linear time to emphasise moral consequence.

Q: What is the dramatic purpose of the Inspector’s arrival?

A: His timing interrupts Birling’s self-satisfied speech, symbolising the intrusion of morality into capitalist complacency.

Quote: “We hear the sharp ring of a front door bell.”

Analysis: The bell is both literal and metaphorical - a call to conscience for characters and audience alike.

Q: How does Priestley use the photograph motif?

A: The photograph isolates each character’s guilt while preserving ambiguity, showing that truth is selective and subjective.

Quote: “He produces a photograph and goes to Birling.”

Analysis: The photo symbolises moral reflection - forcing each character to confront a personal image of wrongdoing.

Q: How is dramatic irony used for criticism?

A: Birling’s false predictions (“no war,” “Titanic unsinkable”) mock his self-assurance.

Analysis: Priestley satirises capitalist hubris and blind faith in progress, making the audience complicit in judging him.

Q: Why is Eva Smith never seen?

A: Her invisibility universalises her suffering; she becomes a symbol of collective injustice.

Analysis: Priestley uses absence as presence - Eva’s silence amplifies her moral power and the audience’s empathy.

Q: What is the significance of the ending?

A: The phone call reopens the cycle; moral lessons unlearned return as retribution.

Quote: “That was the police. A girl has just died.”

Analysis: The ending fuses mystery and morality, showing that social evasion cannot escape ethical truth - Priestley’s cyclical structure mirrors the inescapability of conscience.

Post-War Britain (1945): Context

Audience had experienced “fire and blood and anguish” (WWI & WWII). Priestley warns against repeating capitalist selfishness.

Socialism vs Capitalism: Idea

Priestley advocates collective welfare; Birling’s speeches embody discredited pre-war capitalism.

Gender & Patriarchy: Context

Set in 1912 but written in 1945; Priestley exposes the slow progress of women’s liberation.

Christian & Moral Allegory: Idea

The Inspector functions like a modern moral judge - his name “Goole” (ghoul) suggests supernatural conscience.

Theatrical Technique: Idea

One set, continuous time, rising tension → mirrors moral compression; no escape from scrutiny.

Lighting Shift: Idea

“Pink and intimate” to “brighter and harder” when the Inspector arrives - symbolises truth piercing comfort.

Priestley’s Message: Idea

True morality lies in empathy, accountability, and social equality - not in class status or wealth.