An Inspector Calls- J.B Priestley

1. Time of play

*The time period in which Pristley chose to set the play (1912) and its relationship to the audience who would see it was deliberate.
*He set is just before the First World War for an audience who would have just come through the Second World War (1939-1945).
*From Priestley's point of view it would give greater power to his words.
* He was appealing to the audience to consider the failure of the older generation (Mr & Mrs Birling) to learn from their mistakes after the First World War and not to repeat this failure now that the Second World War was over.
*As a socialist, Priestley was dismayed at the period between the two world wars that brought widespread poverty and economic depression.
*An Inspector Calls is a plea for a fairer society.

2. Setting of the play

*The action of the play takes place in a single setting that does not change ie the Birlings' dining room one evening in spring, 1912.
*Choosing to set the play in one room helps to create a claustrophic mood.
*The setting depicts a normal, suburban home but Priestley will trip away the normality as more of the characters' behaviours are revealed
The lighting is described as "PINK AND INTIMATE" when the play opens. This changes to a harsher light when the Inspector arrives suggesting that his enquiries will be probing.

3. An Inspector Calls is a morality play and Mrs Birling METAPHORICALLY represents:
*Capitalism
* Ignorance to lower classes
*Selfishness
*Pride and prejudice

4. We are introduced to Mrs Birling in the stage direction as "ABOUT FIFTY, A RATHER COLD WOMAN AND HER HUSBAND'S SOCIAL SUPERIOR".

*Mrs Birling metaphorically represents wrath and pride
* The adjective "COLD" symbolises and foreshadows her behaviour towards the middle class.
* She is unaffectionate and unable to show sympathy to those less fortunate, more specifically towards Eva.
*Coupled with her age being "FIFTY", we have a notion that the older generation are narrow minded and reluctant to change.
*She's her "HUSBAND'S SOCIAL SUPERIOR"- her position within society is made clear and outlines the pride she will later display when refusing Eva Smith the help from the charity.
*The noun "SUPERIOR" further emphasises her position and this belief that she is above others and serves to highlight the growing gap capitalism has created.

5. In the beginning of the play Mrs Birling is reserved, says little and places great importance on correct behaviour eg "ARTHUR, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY SUCH THINGS"

6. Mrs Birling's attitude to lower/middle class is foreshadowed by her attitude toward Police Inspector Goole, who in Edwardian times would be regarded as lower/middle class. Mrs Birling sees herself as his social superior.
She regards him as a threat to her well-ordered life
She uses her influence to try to impress the Inspector by reminding him of her husband's importance in the community eg "lORD MAYOR ONLY TWO YEARS AGO"..

7. Mrs Birling dehumanises Eva Smith and all girls of the lower class when she states "I DON'T SUPPOSE FOR A MOMENT THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THE GIRL COMMITTED SUICIDE. GIRLS OF THAT CLASS...."

*The use of the word "girls" is a huge generalisation which implies that all poor or less fortunate girls will try to commit suicide.
* it shows a lack of understanding
* shows apathy (don't care) which links back to "cold"
* use of the determiner "THAT" reiterates disdain (dislike) and a huge disregard for the girls, foreshadowing the incident in the charity.

8. Further belittling of Eva Smith is evidenced when Mrs Birling says "AS IF A GIRL OF THAT SORT WOULD EVER REFUSE MONEY". Pristley portrays Mrs Birling's hypocricy ie her disdain (looking down) of the lower class yet it's her own class (eg her son) who lacks moral behaviour.
One can question whether Priestley is saying that capitalism encourages moral corruption.

Mrs Birling's reaction to Eva Smith's plea for help from the Brumley Women's Charity Organisation (of which she was a prominent member) further emphasises her lack of compassion and empathy for anyone not belonging to her social class. The audience is witness to her unlikability when she says
"I USED MY INFLUENCE TO HAVE IT REFUSED.... I CONSIDER I DID MY DUTY."
*The abstract noun "influence" shows that Mrs Birling abuses her position. She has the ability to influence the lower classes which Priestley portrays to be the problem with capitalism and the unfair distribution of wealth.
* the use of hard alliteration "..did my duty" emphasises her cold nature - just looking at the facts and not the people behind it who were of a lower social order.
"... ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PREJUDICED ME AGAINST HER CASE"
* Mrs Birling is prejudiced- she's ignorant without knowledge of Eva Smith and justifies her actions " PREFECTLY JUSTIFIED IN ADVISING MY COMMITTEE NOT TO ALLOW HER CLAIM"-
* Adverb "perfectly" heightens the ignorance of Mrs Birling. She thinks her actions are flawless. She is ignorant as she's unable to see the error or consequences of her behaviour.
*"JUSTIFIED" - defending her actions- the awful notion that denying this jobless, pregnant woman money is a justified action.
*"MY"- possessive pronoun shows off her power
""ALLOW"- reminds the audience she could have helped Eva.
*She thinks she's an upstanding member of the community whereas in fact she's uncaring and lacks compassion.
*Priestley wanted to expose the pretences put on by the middle class to show they are insincere and that society needs to change.

10. Mrs Birling is a very naive character
*She doesn't think that there is any problem in her family at all and all problems exist outside- she only sees what she wants to see.
*She blames the father of the child because she doesn't know the father is her own son (Eric). She will "NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY" as she "ACCEPTS NO BLAME" and she blames the "YOUNG IDLER" who got her pregnant in the first place.
*Priestley uses DRAMATIC IRONY when the audience recognises how little she knows of her own family ie her son is the "young idler".
*"BUT SURELY... I MEAN.... IT'S RIDICULOUS"- breakdown in language, sentences are more fragmented, shorter- depicting horror,shock. Use of word "ridiculous"- she thinks it's absurd that Eric has had a relationship with a girl of the lower class. This is linked to the stage direction "VERY DISTRESSED NOW"- only concerned when it involves Eric.
*She shows a HINT of remorse but this is only shown when she discovers it's Eric who is the father ie this depicts her selfishness.
* However her remorse is short lived and she quickly returns back to her "cold" nature
* As part of the morality play, she shows a lack of conscience.

11.Priestley depicts serious character flaws in all members of the family, especially Mrs Birling who the audience is made to dislike. Eric accuses his mother of killing her own grandchild. Priestley also highlights the difference between the values of the older and younger generations. Although they were all to blame for Eva Smith's death, the younger generation felt remorse yet the older generation lacked the same moral compass/sense of morality.
*Mrs Birling feels no guilt when there appears to have been no suicide- she appears to have not learnt anything.
*When Mrs B discovers they haven't been talking to a real police inspector she is TRIUMPHANT (Stage directive)- as if she's won a competition. What has she won? Who has she defeated- the poor/less fortunate? Is this a conflict between the classes where the poor always lose?

12.Conclusion- Mrs B metaphorically represents all that was wrong with Edwardian society - capitalist, selfish, snobbery, ignorance pride, prejudice. Priestley presents Mrs B in an unfavourable light and makes audience dislike her and the metaphors she stands for but perhaps his subtle intention was for the audience to pity her for her unwavering faith in the class system which allowed her to grow up naively believing that only the lower class can sin. Priestley's stark warning to the Birlings and to society is that we all have a responsibility in society to care for each other and that "THE TIME WILL SOON COME WHEN, IF MEN WILL NOT LEARN THAT LESSON, THEN THEY WILL BE TAUGHT IT IN FIRE AND ANGUISH."