1. An Inspector Calls Mr Salles: Key quotes

"community and all that nonsense... a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own - and"

Doesn't get to finish this anti community speech, as the bell rings announcing the arrival of the inspector. It almost seems as if the Inspector was summoned by Mr Birling. The Inspectors Job seems to correcting Mr Birlings world view

"The Germans don't want war. Nobody wants war... And why? There's too much at stake these days. Everything to lose and nothing to gain by war"

Priestly founded the campaign for nuclear disarmament. He is an anti-war writer. Priestley seems to be making the case that capitalism needs war, as destruction increases demand which therefore means people need to buy products. This is dramatic irony, because at the time this was a big scandal, as it was a large rip-off on how many business profited hugely from the first world war. This is also ironic as Birling seems to be saying the opposite, which exposes him as it seems that Birling doesn't understand how business and capitalism works

"Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable"

This is a metaphor for getting rid of the greatest war time leader of all time Churchill, as he was "unsinkable". This socialist message is that things can change for the better, the titanic which appeared unsinkable did actually sink, so this can happen in the same way to the political powers present. Again, this links to the fact that ww1 was described as the war to end all wars, however 20 years later ww2 happend, so Priestly is saying how is it possible we are going from certainty to entirely the opposite, and he blames it entirely on arrogant business men like Mr Birling.

"Now look at the pair of them - the famous younger generation who know it all. And they can't even take a joke - "

Mr Birling doesn't learn the lesson of Eva's death. Priestly is making a parallel between the death of Eva and all the deaths in ww2, and that's why the second phone call at the end of the play represents ww2, the second death represents all those deaths in ww2, this happens because they refused to accept the Inspectors lessons. Mr Birling exists as a warning for what has gone wrong in society.

"It would do us all a bit of good if sometimes we try to put ourselves in the place of these young women counting their pennies, in their dingy little back bedrooms"

This is telling us the Inspector believes in community. This play also seems to be obsessed with women, because Priestly is saying the biggest injustice to society is the way women are treated and also that people with greatest power to change society is women

"There are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and Johns Smiths"

Clear Eva is a symbolic figure, this is important as the audience would've been filled with middle and upper class members of society, these happen to be the same people that need to change their views on the poor

"We are members of one body"

Emphasize community, Christian language, which almost suggests that a good Christian must believe in community and they must also believe in doing good for their fellow man. Priestley's point is that if you want to be Christian you must vote for a socialist society

"If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish"

The inspectors final warning. Reference to the ww1 and ww2 , making a direct link between capitalism and war. At this point the Inspector leaves as test, to see if they will actually follow his social responsibility lesson, almost like the story of Adam and Eve, and the end is exactly the same for both stories, both ending in tragedy

"In fact, in a kind of way, you might be said to have been jealous of her"

Priestly is pointing out how it is odd that Sheila, a person with privilege and all of this social advantages is jealous of a mere shop keeper, who is social at the bottom of the scale. Therefore Sheila can only be jealous of someone with such low life prospects if society values appearance so highly. This means society has damaged women, not only by limiting their choices, he is also saying society educates women to value the wrong stuff.

"A girl I know had to see him at the town hall one afternoon and she only escaped with a torn blouse"

Alderman Meggarty. "Only" suggests she was lucky to escape with just a torn blouse and the abuse could've been worse, secondly this is common knowledge, however society has done absolutely nothing. In fact Mrs Birling tries to shut it up by saying "don't talk like that", Mrs B would rather hide the truth than change it, so Sheila now become a symbol for the younger generation in the audience, Priestly is asking the audience to identify with her. When we see the struggle of Sheila and Eric vs their parents, this a symbol for younger generation vs older

"Alright. But it doesn't make any real difference, you know"

Gerald and the family find out that Eva was fake and they are happy. But Sheila point outs that our actions is what matters.

"Why shouldn't they try for higher wage? We try for the highest possible prices"

This is Priestley looking at the economics of that day, and he is saying that, that system is entirely unfair.

"afterwards she told me that she didn't want to go in but that - well, I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty - and I threatened to make a row."

Euphemism for abuse, and yet Eva still feels that she needs to stay with him, because that is her only route for financial security. Priestly focuses on Eric in this way, to make it clear the position Eva is in is entirely the faults of the men

"Not really. I intend to pay it back."

Justifies it as he intends to pay it back, this gets to the problem that Eric is deceiving himself

"It's still the same rotten story whether it's been told to a police inspector or somebody else"

Eric agrees with Sheila. By characterizing it as a story Priestly is trying to show that this story is being repeated endlessly.

"When you're married you'll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business. You'll have to get used to that, just as I had."

When Gerald had an affair, Mrs Birling defended him. Priestly is saying here that women in that generation had to turn a blind eye to their husband fidelities.

"girl of that class - "

Sybil wont accept any responsibility. Priestly is pointing out the true evils of the class society, which stop people from seeing each other as equal or even human

"(agitated) I don't believe it. I won't believe it..."

When Mrs B finds out about what Eric has done. This points again to the fact how society refused to learn the lessons of the first world war, Priestly is arguing that it is human nature to hide painful truths from our selves, just as it is human nature to take care of one another

"It happened that a friend of mine... Had gone off to Canada for six months and had let me have the key of a nice little set of room he had"

He said it "happened", however it seems that this was a careful arrangement, a friend left him keys, not for Gerald to stay in, but for him to take women to. "nice little set of rooms", the thing he finds nice about it is the opportunity for infidelity.

Gerald "Everything is alright now, Sheila. (hold up the ring). What about this ring?"

Sheila "No, not yet. It's too soon. I must think"

Priestly makes it clear that Gerald has learnt nothing. However, Sheila says "no", therefore this is Priestly saying she has learnt the lesson of the Inspector, but she has to think about if she is going to turn down a very powerfull man, therefore she may of not actually learnt the lesson. Or actually she believes she is powerless to make a change, so this could be Priestly saying to the female members of the audience who are not in the same position as Sheila (As they now have the vote), that they can change society.