An Inspector Call
By J.B. Priestley
, THEMES
• Responsibility/Blame/Political views
- Priestley uses the Inspector as a ‘mouthpiece’ to present his
views on an ideal, socialist society, where everyone is
responsible for one another.
- Priestley is critical of the upper classes and their refusal to take
responsibility for their behavior through Mr and Mrs Birling, and
Gerald.
- Priestely uses Eva Smith’s treatment to portray the harsh
realities of what the lower classes have to go through because of
the lack of responsibility of the upper classes.
~ Inspector comes in just as Mr Birling is going on about ‘Every
man for himself’ shit, interrupting him
~ it’s better to ask for the Earth than to take it
~ ‘Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as
privileges.
~ ‘We are members of one body. We are responsible for each
other.
~ A chain of events’
~ ‘If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in
fire and blood and anguish.
’~ ‘If we were all responsible for everything that happened to
everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very
awkward, wouldn’t it?’
~ ‘There’ll be a public scandal’ - all he cares about is reputation
~ ‘I think it was simply a piece of gross impertinence... and
naturally that was one of the things that prejudiced me against
her case’
~ ‘I think she only had herself to blame... I did nothing I’m
ashamed of
~ ‘Go and look for the father of the child. It's his responsibility.’
Ironic
~ ‘I don’t come into this suicide business’
~ ‘Burnt her insides out, of course’.
• Social Class/Power/Influence
- Priestley is critical of the upper classes through the Birlings
and Gerald by showing their lack of responsibility and
By J.B. Priestley
, THEMES
• Responsibility/Blame/Political views
- Priestley uses the Inspector as a ‘mouthpiece’ to present his
views on an ideal, socialist society, where everyone is
responsible for one another.
- Priestley is critical of the upper classes and their refusal to take
responsibility for their behavior through Mr and Mrs Birling, and
Gerald.
- Priestely uses Eva Smith’s treatment to portray the harsh
realities of what the lower classes have to go through because of
the lack of responsibility of the upper classes.
~ Inspector comes in just as Mr Birling is going on about ‘Every
man for himself’ shit, interrupting him
~ it’s better to ask for the Earth than to take it
~ ‘Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as
privileges.
~ ‘We are members of one body. We are responsible for each
other.
~ A chain of events’
~ ‘If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in
fire and blood and anguish.
’~ ‘If we were all responsible for everything that happened to
everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very
awkward, wouldn’t it?’
~ ‘There’ll be a public scandal’ - all he cares about is reputation
~ ‘I think it was simply a piece of gross impertinence... and
naturally that was one of the things that prejudiced me against
her case’
~ ‘I think she only had herself to blame... I did nothing I’m
ashamed of
~ ‘Go and look for the father of the child. It's his responsibility.’
Ironic
~ ‘I don’t come into this suicide business’
~ ‘Burnt her insides out, of course’.
• Social Class/Power/Influence
- Priestley is critical of the upper classes through the Birlings
and Gerald by showing their lack of responsibility and
