Eng Lit Paper 2 Section A - An Inspector Calls

When was An Inspector Calls written?

1945, but set in 1912 â€" Priestley deliberately creates dramatic irony using the gap between the two dates.

Why is the 1912 setting significant?

It was two years before WW1 and three years before the Titanic sank â€" events the audience knows are coming, making the Birlings' complacency seem absurd.

Why did Priestley write An Inspector Calls?

To argue for socialist values â€" collective responsibility, equality, and the rejection of capitalist selfishness â€" in the wake of WW2.

What is J.B. Priestley's political stance?

Socialist. He believed wealth and privilege created immoral social divisions and that society had a duty of care to the poor.

What does the play argue about class?

That the upper and middle classes exploit the working class and must be held morally accountable for the consequences.

What theatrical movement does the play belong to?

It is a well-made play with elements of morality play â€" the Inspector functions almost as a moral judge or supernatural figure.

What is the significance of the play being performed in 1946?

Post-WW2 audiences were receptive to socialist ideas â€" the welfare state was being built and the Labour Party had just won a landslide election.

What dramatic irony surrounds Mr Birling's speech?

He calls the Titanic "unsinkable" and dismisses the possibility of war â€" both proved catastrophically wrong within years of 1912.

What is the play's structure?

A single set, real-time action (one evening), following the three unities â€" this creates claustrophobia and mounting pressure.

What genre is An Inspector Calls?

A morality play, a thriller, and a piece of social realism. It uses the whodunit format to deliver a moral message.

What does the Inspector's name suggest?

"Goole" sounds like "ghoul" â€" suggesting he is supernatural, a ghost, or the voice of conscience/moral judgement.

How does the Inspector function in the play?

As a moral catalyst â€" he forces each character to confront their role in Eva Smith's death and take responsibility.

What is the Inspector's dramatic purpose?

To be Priestley's mouthpiece â€" delivering the socialist message that "we are members of one body" and responsible for each other.

Key quote: Inspector on collective responsibility

"We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other."

Key quote: Inspector's warning

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

How does the Inspector treat the Birlings?

He controls the interrogation â€" calm, relentless, refuses to be intimidated, breaks down their social pretensions.

Is the Inspector a realistic character?

No â€" he is too all-knowing and symbolic to be a real detective; Priestley presents him as a moral force, perhaps a ghost or the voice of conscience.

How does the Inspector leave the stage?

Having delivered his final moral speech, he exits abruptly â€" leaving the family in shock and the audience to judge.

What does it mean that no Inspector Goole exists?

His lack of real identity reinforces his supernatural/symbolic nature â€" he represents collective conscience, not one person.

What does Mr Birling represent?

Capitalism, selfishness, and the old social order â€" he believes in every man looking after himself.

Key quote: Birling on responsibility

"A man has to make his own way â€" has to look after himself."

Key quote: Birling on community

"...and so long as we behave ourselves, don't get into the police court or start a scandal... it's nothing to do with us."

How does Mr Birling treat his workers?

He fired Eva Smith for leading a workers' strike demanding higher wages â€" prioritising profit over his workers' welfare.

Does Mr Birling show remorse?

No â€" he is primarily concerned with avoiding a public scandal, not with moral guilt.

How does Birling respond to the Inspector?

With bluster, status-dropping, and attempts at intimidation â€" all of which the Inspector ignores.

What does Birling's mention of social advancement show?

He is a social climber â€" proud of being an ex-Lord Mayor and hoping for a knighthood, showing his values are entirely superficial.

How does Birling change by the end?

He doesn't â€" he is relieved when the Inspector appears to be a hoax and dismisses the moral lesson entirely.

What does Mrs Birling represent?

Snobbery, rigid class prejudice, and cold-hearted denial of social responsibility.

How did Mrs Birling harm Eva Smith?

She used her position on a charity committee to deny Eva Smith help when she was pregnant and desperate.

Key quote: Mrs Birling on Eva

She dismissed Eva's case as "impertinent" and felt no responsibility for a girl of her social class.

How does Mrs Birling respond to the Inspector?

She is the most resistant â€" she refuses to admit any wrongdoing even when confronted with the consequences.

What dramatic irony surrounds Mrs Birling?

She blames "the father of the child" â€" not knowing she is condemning her own son Eric before the audience does.

Does Mrs Birling change?

No â€" she is the most morally static character, embodying the refusal of the older generation to change.

How did Sheila harm Eva Smith?

She had Eva fired from Milwards (a dress shop) out of jealous spite because Eva looked better than her in a dress.

Key quote: Sheila on her actions

"I know I'm to blame â€" and I'm desperately sorry."

How does Sheila change during the play?

She undergoes the most significant transformation â€" she moves from complicity to genuine guilt and moral awareness.

What does Sheila represent?

The hope of the younger generation â€" the possibility of change, empathy, and social responsibility.

How does Sheila react to Eric's revelations?

With horror and empathy â€" she is the character most willing to confront uncomfortable truths.

What is Sheila's role at the end of the play?

She remains troubled even after the "hoax" is revealed â€" showing her moral growth is genuine, unlike her parents.

Key quote: Sheila challenging her parents

"But you're forgetting one thing I still can't forget. Everything we said happened really did happen."

How did Eric harm Eva Smith?

He met her in a bar, began a relationship with her, got her pregnant, and stole money from his father's business to support her.

What does Eric represent?

The darker side of privilege â€" irresponsible, selfish, but ultimately capable of remorse.

Key quote: Eric on his father

"You're not the kind of father a chap could go to when he's in trouble."

How does Eric change?

He is genuinely remorseful and shamed â€" but also angry at his parents for their lack of empathy.

What is significant about Eric's relationship with Eva?

It may not have been entirely consensual â€" Priestley hints at coercion, complicating Eric's character further.

Does Eric accept responsibility?

Yes â€" he is one of the two younger characters (with Sheila) who genuinely change.

How did Gerald harm Eva Smith?

He had a prolonged affair with her (as his mistress, "Daisy Renton"), then ended it when it became inconvenient.

What does Gerald represent?

The hypocrisy of the upper class â€" outwardly respectable, privately exploitative.

Key quote: Gerald on Daisy Renton

He claims to have genuinely cared for her â€" but he ultimately abandoned her.

How does Gerald differ from the Birlings?

He is upper class (his mother disapproved of the Birling match), wealthier, and more socially connected.

Does Gerald change?

Partially â€" he admits his actions but is relieved when the Inspector seems to be a fake, suggesting he reverts.

What does Gerald's investigation into the Inspector show?

He is more concerned with escaping blame than with genuine remorse â€" he makes the phone calls to disprove the Inspector.

Who is Eva Smith?

The unseen victim â€" she never appears on stage, making her a symbolic figure for all exploited working-class women.

What does Eva Smith's name suggest?

"Eva" echoes "Eve" (every woman) and "Smith" is the most common English surname â€" she represents Everywoman of the working class.

How is Eva Smith presented?

As a victim of each character's selfish actions â€" her death is the cumulative result of multiple acts of exploitation.

Why is Eva never seen on stage?

Her absence is deliberate â€" she has no voice, mirroring the silencing of the working class in Edwardian society.

What happens to Eva Smith?

She drinks disinfectant and dies in the infirmary. She was pregnant with Eric's child at the time of her death.

What does Eva represent thematically?

She is a symbol of the exploited working class â€" her suffering represents the consequences of capitalist indifference.

What is the play's central theme?

Social responsibility â€" Priestley argues every person has a moral duty to care for others, especially the vulnerable.

How does Priestley present class?

As an oppressive hierarchy that enables the rich to exploit the poor without consequences â€" Eva's death is a direct result of class inequality.

What does the play say about gender?

Women like Eva Smith had no power or protection â€" they were dependent on the goodwill of men and vulnerable to exploitation.

What is the theme of time in the play?

Priestley uses the 1912 setting and the Inspector's warnings to suggest that failing to learn moral lessons leads to collective catastrophe (WW1, WW2).

What is the theme of generational divide?

The older generation (Birlings, Gerald) refuse to change; the younger (Sheila, Eric) show the capacity for moral growth and hope.

How does Priestley present responsibility?

As collective â€" Eva's death is not one person's fault but the result of a chain of selfish acts by multiple people.

How is guilt shown in the play?

Through the Inspector's interrogation â€" each character is forced to acknowledge their link in the chain leading to Eva's death.

What does the play say about capitalism?

Priestley critiques it as inherently immoral â€" prioritising profit over people leads to human suffering and death.

What role does shame play in the play?

It is a tool of social control for the Birlings â€" they care about being found out, not about genuine wrongdoing.

What is the opening scene?

The Birling family celebrate Sheila and Gerald's engagement â€" a scene of smug, self-congratulatory wealth.

What is the significance of the opening stage directions?

The room is described as "substantial" but the lighting is "pink and intimate" â€" when the Inspector arrives, the lighting becomes "brighter and harder."

What does the lighting change signify?

The shift from warmth to harsh light represents the stripping away of illusions and comfortable self-deception.

How does the Inspector introduce himself?

He arrives unannounced with news of a young woman's death and begins questioning each character methodically.

What is the order of the Inspector's interrogations?

Birling â†' Sheila â†' Gerald â†' Mrs Birling â†' Eric â€" structured to build mounting horror.

What is the play's climax?

Eric's revelation that he is the father of Eva's child and that he stole from his father â€" the full chain of exploitation is complete.

What is the Inspector's final speech?

A warning that if the lesson of collective responsibility is not learned, "fire and blood and anguish" will follow â€" a direct reference to the world wars.

What happens after the Inspector leaves?

Gerald discovers there is no Inspector Goole in the police records and no girl in the infirmary â€" the "hoax" is apparently revealed.

How do the characters respond to the hoax revelation?

The older generation (Birlings, Gerald) are relieved; the younger (Sheila, Eric) remain troubled, recognising the moral truth is unchanged.

What is the play's final moment?

Mr Birling receives a phone call: a girl has died in the infirmary and a real inspector is on their way â€" the cycle begins again.

What is the dramatic effect of the final phone call?

It suggests the Birlings have not escaped justice â€" and warns the audience that ignoring moral responsibility has real consequences.

"We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other."

Inspector Goole â€" the central moral message of the play; collective socialist responsibility.

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

Inspector â€" a prophecy of WW1 and WW2; a warning about the consequences of selfishness.

"A man has to make his own way â€" has to look after himself."

Mr Birling â€" encapsulates capitalist, self-interested values that Priestley opposes.

"I know I'm to blame â€" and I'm desperately sorry."

Sheila â€" demonstrates her genuine remorse and moral growth, unlike her parents.

"You're not the kind of father a chap could go to when he's in trouble."

Eric to Birling â€" exposes the emotional failure beneath the surface of the respectable family.

"But you're forgetting one thing I still can't forget. Everything we said happened really did happen."

Sheila â€" refuses to let the family use the hoax as an excuse; her moral growth is real.

"Burnt her inside out, of course."

Inspector, describing Eva's death â€" shockingly graphic; forces the audience and characters to confront the reality of their actions.

"Girls of that classâ€""

Mrs Birling â€" her dismissive, class-based language reveals her deep-seated snobbery and lack of empathy.

"I don't see why I should keep back anything. It'll all come out at the inquest anyhow."

Gerald â€" self-serving honesty; he confesses partly to control the narrative.

"Everything's all right now, Sheila. What about this ring?"

Gerald, at the end â€" he retreats to the engagement, showing he has not truly changed.

"Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges."

Inspector â€" directly challenges Birling's sense of entitlement; power demands moral accountability.

"We were having a little party â€" and then along comes Inspector Goole and spoils it."

Birling â€" trivialising the evening; his concern is the disruption to his comfort, not Eva's death.