Inspector Calls Themes

Upper Class Responsibility

Inspector: 'You're offering money at the wrong time, Mr Birling'

Social duty

Inspector: 'We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other'

Scapegoating

Birling: 'You're the one I blame for this.'

Responsibility

Inspector: 'You'll be able to divide the responsibility between you'

Society and Cause & Effect

Inspector: 'A chain of events.'

Death and the Human Conscience

Could be a satire of religion and it's irony. Goole sounds like ghoul and the main character is a dead girl, Eva Smith

Suffering and Suicide

Inspector: 'She wanted to end her life. She felt she couldn't go on any longer.'

Working class stereotypes 1

Birling: 'Have any idea what happened to her afterwards? Get into trouble? Go onto the streets?'

Working class stereotypes 2

Gerald: 'Not if it was just after the holidays. They'd all be broke - if I know them'

Responsibility (negative)

Birling: 'If we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody…it would be very awkward, wouldn't it?'

Negativity towards lower classes

Mrs Birling: 'A girl of that class'

Time

Dunne's theory of time which argues that the past is still present and that time is not linear; especially seen in the last act

Nature of Time

How does the Inspector foreshadow the 'fire and blood and anguish'? What would happen if the characters changed their actions?

Public VS Private 1

Eric 'has been steadily drinking too much for the last two years' seems like a private revelation to the parents with as much effect as making the information public

Public VS Private 2

Inspector reminds family to keep private drama out of a public investigation: 'There'll be plenty of time, when I've gone, for you all to adjust your family relationships'

Public VS Private 3

Mr & Mrs Birling are concerned about social status and of 'a public scandal' - mentioned 4 times

Blame (negative)

Birling: 'You're the one I blame'

Capitalistic values

Birling: 'a man has to make his own way'

Socialist values (negative)

Birling calls community 'nonsense' and that anyone who believes in community are 'cranks' - repeated at the end, as he learnt no lessons