Setting: The setting takes place in the dinning-room of the Birling house in Brumley, an industrial city in the North

Midlands. The setting is constant (all action happens in the same place). The play is set around a dinner to celebrate the engament of Sheila, the daughter of the ealthy Birling family, to the e!en ealthier "erald #roft. $n %nspector #alls This table describes as ritten in &'() but it is set in &'&* as like in &'&* and in &'(+

hat society

An Inspector Callsis set in An Inspector Calls was written in 1945. 1912 The ,irst -orld -ar ould start in t o years. Birling.s optimistic !ie that there ould not be a ar is completely rong. The Second -orld -ar ended in /urope on 0 May &'(+. 1eople ere reco!ering from nearly si2 years of arfare, danger and uncertainty.

There ere strong distinctions #lass distinctions had been greatly reduced bet een the upper and lo er as a result of t o orld ars. classes. -omen ere subser!ient to $s a result of the ars, omen had earned men. $ll a ell off omen a more !alued place in society. could do as get married3 a poor oman as seen as cheap labour. The ruling classes sa no There as a great desire for social change. need to change the status %mmediately after The Second -orld -ar, 4uo. #lement $ttlee.s 5abour 1arty on a landslide !ictory o!er -inston #hurchill and the #onser!ati!es.

The The The The The

Titanic emergence of 6ussia as a orld po er outbreak of -orld -ar 7ne importance of the -omen8s 6ights mo!ement rise of Socialism

The setting of the play is &'&* because it as a time of three classes9 -orking class, Middle class and :pper class. %n &'&* it as a time here the middle class thought that the future looked pleasing because their ay of life as fine, the Titanic as setting sail and it as to be the safest ship to tra!el on, and also that there ere going to be no ars ;ust peace. But it turns out that the Titanic sinks after four days on the sea and there is a ar, -orld -ar &, t o years later. 1riestly as trying to sho the difference bet een the rich and the poor.

Characters

Mr $rthur Birling <e is a ealthy man in his fifties. But he asn8t born into money, he had to earn it. $rthur is proud that his daughter Sheila is marrying "erald because it might help his social standing and business interests. Mr Birling is concerned about success and money. <e8s a proud, ambitious and selfish man. <e boasts about ha!ing been Mayor and tries (and fails) to impress the %nspector ith his local standing and his influential friends. <e is optimistic for the future and confident that there ill not be a ar. $s the audience kno s there will be a ar, e begin to doubt Mr Birling.s ;udgement. (%f he is rong about the ar, hat else ill he be rong about=) <e is e2tremely selfish9 <e ants to protect himself and his family. <e belie!es that socialist ideas that stress the importance of the community are >nonsense> and that >a man has to make his o n ay.> <e <e ants to protect Birling and #o. <e cannot see that he did anything as ;ust looking after his business interests. orried about ho the press ill !ie the story in rong hen he fired /!a Smith - he

ants to protect his reputation. $s the %nspector.s in!estigations continue, his ants to hide the fact

selfishness gets the better of him9 he is

$ct %%, and accuses Sheila of disloyalty at the start of $ct %%%. <e

that /ric stole money9 >%.!e got to co!er this up as soon as % can.> - $t the end of the play, he kno s he has lost the chance of his knighthood, his reputation in Brumley and the chance of Birling and #o. merging ith their ri!als. ?et he hasn.t learnt the lesson of the play9 he is unable to admit his responsibility for his part in /!a.s death. Mrs Sybil Birling Sybil Birling is $rthur8s ife. She8s a cold, arrogant oman ho looks do n on other people. She tries to deny things that she doesn.t ant to belie!e. % mean3 she turns a blind eye to a lot of the Birling family8s problems9 /ric.s drinking, "erald.s affair ith /!a, and the fact that a orking class girl ould refuse money e!en if it as stolen. She admits she as >pre;udiced> against the girl ho applied to her committee for help and sa it as her >duty> to refuse to help her. <er narro sense of morality dictates that the father of a child should be responsible for its elfare, regardless of circumstances. $t the end of the play, she has had to come to terms that her son is a hea!y drinker ho got a girl pregnant and stole money to support her, her daughter ill not marry a good social .catch. and that her o n reputation ithin the to n ill be sullied. ?et, like her husband, she refuses to belie!e that she did anything rong and doesn.t accept responsibility for her part in /!a.s death. Sheila Birling She is described at the start as >a pretty girl in her early t enties, !ery pleased ith life and rather e2cited.> /!en though she seems !ery playful at the opening, e kno that she has had suspicions about "erald hen she mentions >last summer, hen you ne!er came near me.> @oes this suggest that she is not as nai!e and shallo as she first appears= $lthough she has probably ne!er in her life before considered the conditions of the orkers, she sho s her compassion immediately she hears of her father.s

treatment of /!a Smith9 >But these girls aren.t cheap labour - they.re people.>$lready, she is starting to change. She is horrified by her o n part in /!a.s story. She feels full of guilt for her ;ealous actions and blames herself as >really responsible.> She is !ery perceptive9 she realises that "erald kne @aisy 6enton from his reaction, the moment the %nspector mentioned her name. $t the end of $ct %%, she is the first to realise /ric.s part in the story. Significantly, she is the first to onder ho the %nspector really is, saying to him, . onderingly., >% don.t understand about you.> She arns the others >he.s gi!ing us the rope - so that e.ll hang oursel!es> ($ct %%) and, near the end, is the first to consider hether the %nspector may not be real. She is curious. She genuinely ants to kno about "erald.s part in the story. %t.s interesting that she is not angry ith him hen she hears about the affair9 she says that she respects his honesty. She is becoming more mature. She is angry ith her parents in $ct A for trying to >pretend that nothing much has happened.> Sheila says >%t frightens me the ay you talk9> she cannot understand ho they cannot ha!e learnt from the e!ening in the same ay that she has. She is seeing her parents in a ne , unfa!ourable light. $t the end of the play, Sheila is much wiser. She can no ;udge her parents and "erald from a ne perspecti!e, but the greatest change has been in herself9 her social conscience has been a akened and she is a are of her responsibilities. The Sheila ho had a girl dismissed from her ;ob for a tri!ial reason has !anished fore!er. /ric Birling

<e is described at the start as >in his early t enties, not 4uite at ease, half shy, half asserti!e.> /ric seems embarrassed and aw wardright from the start. The first mention of him in the script is >/ric suddenly guffa s,> and then he is unable to e2plain his laughter, as if he is ner!ous about something. (%t is not until the final act that e realise this must be because of his ha!ing stolen some money.) There is another a k ard moment hen "erald, Birling and /ric are chatting about omen.s lo!e of clothes before the %nspector arri!es. @o you feel that there is tension in /ric.s relationship ith his father= %t soon becomes clear to us (although it takes his parents longer) that he is ahardened drin er. "erald admits, >% ha!e gathered that he does drink pretty hard.> -hen he hears ho his father sacked /!a Smith, he supports the orker.s cause, like Sheila. >-hy shouldn.t they try for higher ages=> <e feels guilt and frustration ith himself o!er his relationship ith the girl. <e cries, >7h - my "odB - ho stupid it all isB> as he tells his story. <e is horrified that his thoughtless actions had such conse4uences. <e had some innate sense of responsibility, though, because although he got a oman pregnant, he as concerned enough to gi!e her money. <e as ob!iously less orried about stealing (or .borro ing. from his father.s office) than he as about the girl.s future. So, as /ric, initially, the most socially a are member of the Birling family= <e is appalled by his parents. inability to admit their o n responsibility. <e tells them forcefully, >%.m ashamed of you.> -hen Birling tries to threaten him in $ct %%%, /ric is aggressi!e in return9 >% don.t gi!e a damn no .> @o you think /ric has e!er stood up to his father in this ay before=

$t the end of the play, like Sheila, he is fully a are of his social responsibility. <e is not interested in his parents. efforts to co!er e!erything up9 as far as he is concerned, the important thing is that a girl is dead. >-e did her in all right.> "erald #roft

<e is described as >an attracti!e chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy but !ery much the easy ell-bred man-about-to n.> <e is an aristocrat - the son of 5ord and 5ady #roft. -e realise that they are not o!er-impressed by "erald.s engagement to Sheila because they declined the in!itation to the dinner. <e is not as illing as Sheila to admit his part in the girl.s death to the %nspector and initially pretends that he ne!er kne her. %s he a bit like Mr Birling, anting to protect his o n interests= <e did ha!e some genuine feeling for @aisy 6enton, ho e!er9 he is !ery mo!ed hen he hears of her death. <e tells %nspector "oole that he arranged for her to li!e in his friend.s flat >because % as sorry for her3> she became his mistress because>She as young and pretty and arm-hearted - and intensely grateful.> @espite this, in $ct A he tries to come up ith as much e!idence as possible to pro!e that the %nspector is a fake - because that ould get him off the hook. %t is "erald ho confirms that the local force has no officer by the name of "oole, he ho realises it may not ha!e been the same girl and he ho finds out from the infirmary that there has not been a suicide case in months. <e seems to thro his energies into >protecting> himself rather than>changing> himself (unlike Sheila). $t the end of the play, he has not changed. <e has not gained a ne sense of social responsibility, hich is hy Sheila ( ho has) is unsure hether to take back the engagement ring. %nspector "oole

o o

<e is described on his entrance as creating >an impression of massi!eness, solidity and purposefulness. <e is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit. <e speaks carefully, eightily, and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking. > <e orks !ery systematically3 he likes to deal ith >one person and one line of en4uiry at a time.> <is method is to confront a suspect ith a piece of information and then make them talk - or, as Sheila puts it, >he.s gi!ing us the rope - so that e.ll hang oursel!es.> <e is a figure of authority. <e deals ith each member of the family !ery firmly and se!eral times e see him >massi!ely taking charge as disputes erupt bet een them.><e is not impressed hen he hears about Mr Birling.s influential friends and he cuts through Mrs Birling.s obstructi!eness. <e seems to now and understand an e2traordinary amount9 <e kno s the history of /!a Smith and the Birlings. in!ol!ement in it, e!en though she died only hours ago. Sheila tells "erald, >7f course he kno s.> <e kno s things are going to happen - <e says >%.m aiting... To do my duty> ;ust before /ric.s return, as if he e2pected /ric to reappear at e2actly that moment

<e is ob!iously in a great hurry to ards the end of the play9 he stresses >% ha!en.t much time.> @oes he kno that the real inspector is shortly going to arri!e= <is final speech is like a sermon or a politician.s. <e lea!es the family ith the message >-e are responsible for each other> and arns them of the >fire and blood and anguish> that ill result if they do not pay attention to hat he has taught them.

 he= o o o o

$ll this mystery suggests that the %nspector is not a .real. person. So, %s he a ghost= "oole reminds us of .ghoul.. %s he the !oice of 1riestley= %s he the !oice of "od= %s he the !oice of all our consciences= /!a Smith 7f course, e ne!er see /!a Smith on stage in the play9 that the %nspector and the Birlings gi!e us.

hat is

e only ha!e the e!idence

The %nspector, Sheila "erald and /ric all say that she as >pretty.> "erald describes her as >!ery pretty - soft bro n hair and big dark eyes.> <er parents ere dead. She came from outside Brumley9 Mr Birling speaks of her being >country-bred.> She as orking class. The %nspector says that she had kept a sort of diary, hich helped him piece together the last t o years of her life9 <o e!er, in $ct A e begin to onder hether /!a e!er really e2isted. "erald says, >-e.!e no proof it as the same photograph and therefore no proof it as the same girl.> Birling adds, >There asn.t the slightest proof that this @aisy 6enton really as /!a Smith.> ?et the final phone call, announcing that a police inspector is shortly to arri!e at the Birlings. house to in!estigate the suicide of a young girl, makes us realise that maybe /!a Smith did e2ist after all. -hat do you think= Think about /!a.s name. Eva is similar to Eve, the first oman created by "od in the Bible. Smith is the most common /nglish surname. So, Eva Smith could represent e!ery oman of her class. !ho changes the most throughout the play" Sheila is one of the fe characters in the play ho changes the most in terms of !ie s on social responsibility. $t the beginning of the play, Sheila is presented as a stereotypical middle class young oman - immature and spolit. 1riestley brings this out through Sheila.s character through her childish language such as >%.m sorry @addy and >go on Mummy>. Throughout the rest of the play the audience are a are of Sheila.s significant change, mostly because of her speech. Sheila adopts a mature and sophisticates personality hen admitting her regret to getting /!a Smith sacked. She confesses it.s >simply my fault> and >these girls....they.re people>. The 4uotes imply Sheila is illing to admit her responsibility and has changed for good. #he old characters and the young characters: Contrast %t can also be seen that 1riestley as trying to sho the difference bet een the young people and the older characters. The adults carry on as if nothing has happened. But the younger ones don.t carry on as if nothings happened they carry on as if the girl.s dead. > So nothing really happened. So there.s nothing to be sorry for, nothing to learn. -e can all go on beha!ing ;ust as e didCDE% tell you- hoe!er that inspector as, it as nothing but a ;oke. ?ou kne it then. ?ou began to learn something. $nd no you.!e stopped. ?ou.re ready to go on in the same old ay.> Sheila says this. Capitalism and Socialism $nother point that 1riestly as trying to sho as the difference bet een socialism and capitalism because in &'&* there ere t o groups of people the .socialists. and the .capitalists.. The socialist in this play as the %nspector he belie!ed that e!eryone should look after each other >-e are members of one body. -e are responsible

for each other.> -hile Mr. Birling a .capitalist. he belie!ed that e!eryone should look after himself or herself and nobody else. >$ man has to make his o n ay- look after himself and his family too. But some cranks talk and rite no , you.d think e!erybody has to look after e!erybody else, as if e ere all mi2ed up together like bees in a hi!e- community and all that nonsense.> Social position is clearly important to Mr. Birling and the author uses him to represent the capitalist point of !ie . Birling is concerned abput money and hat other people think. The posibility of scandal horrifies him. $ %eadly Sins $dditionally, the forms play an important role in presenting 1riestley.s opinions through Sheila.s change. $n %nspector #alls is a modern form of a medie!el morality play, in hich 1riestley uses the %nspector to in!estigate the charachter.s moral !ie s and opinions. Morality plays ere often used in the Middle $ges to teach the audience a lesoon. ,urthermore, morality plays often included themes based on the F @eadly Sins such as pride and lying. <o e!er, Sheila seems to be free from all forms of these hen she learns to accept responsibility. She e!en admits her on actions >dro!e that girl to commit suicide>. 1riestley may ha!e decided to present Sheila as ha!ing no association ith the sins to indicate that because.s she changed for good, she ill no longer be punished by "od and on.t suffer later in her life. 1riestley as trying to clearly portray Sheila as learning her lesson so that the audience ould feel like they had to do the same to become a good person like her.

The play sho s ho /!a Smith is a !ictim of the attitude of society in &'&*. %t sho s ho hard it as for her as she as young, had no family and as unemployed, meaning she had no income to pro!ide for herself. The play sho s ho some omen ere forced to beg charities for help to sur!i!e or ho some young omen ere e!en forced into prostitution to pro!ide themsel!es money to li!e on. The play highlights the bad ay in hich omen, in a position similar to /!a Smith8s, ere treated at that time by society, especially ealthy members of the public ith high social statuses such as the Birlings.

The plot of this dramatic play is based around a !isit by an inspector to an apparently normal and ell-respected family. $ll the characters are affected by the death of /!a Smith, but Sheila Birling sho s the greatest remorse and changes the most. %n conclusion, 1riestley has cle!erly de!ised the language, structure and form in a coherent and clear ay to help reinforce the idea that Sheila.s change should help influence the audience to change as ell. 1riestley as determined to help the audience to become better people so that they ill be generally more happy in their li!es as long as they took on his idea of social responsibility. This clearly sho n by the fact that the younger generation are able to change, also implying that this as important as he kne it as people like Sheila ould ould help shape the future.

&a'or #hemes Class Taking the play from a socialist perspecti!e ine!itably focuses on issues of social class. #lass is a large factor, indirectly, in the e!ents of the play and /!a Smith8s death. Mrs. Birling, 1riestley notes, is her husband8s social superior, ;ust as "erald ill be Sheila8s social superior if they do get married. 1riestley also subtly notes that "erald8s mother, 5ady #roft, disappro!es of "erald8s marrying Sheila for precisely this reason. ,inally, e!eryone8s treatment of /!a might be put do n (either in part or altogether) to the fact that she is a girl, as Mrs. Birling puts it, Gof that class.H 1riestley clearly as interested in the class system and ho it determines the decisions that people make. (outh and )ge The play implicitly dra s out a significant contrast bet een the older and younger generations of Birlings. -hile $rthur and Sybil refuse to accept responsibility for their actions to ard /!a Smith ($rthur, in particular, is only concerned for his reputation and his potential knighthood), /ric and especially Sheila are shaken by the %nspector8s message and their role in /!a Smith8s suicide. The younger generation is taking more responsibility, perhaps because they are more emotional and idealistic, but perhaps because 1riestley is suggesting a more communally responsible socialist future for Britain. *esponsibility and )voiding +t Though responsibility itself is a central theme of the play, the last act of the play pro!ides a fascinating portrait of the ay that people can let themsel!es off the hook. %f one message of the play is that e must all care more thoroughly about the general elfare, it is clear that the message is not shared by all. By contrasting the older Birlings and "erald ith Sheila and /ric, 1riestley e2plicitly dra s out the difference bet een those ho ha!e accepted their responsibility and those ho ha!e not. Cause and ,ffect The %nspector outlines a Gchain of e!entsH that may ell ha!e led to /!a Smith8s death. <er suicide, seen in this ay, is likely the product not of one person acting alone, but of a group of people each acting alone3 it resulted from se!eral causes. %f Birling had not sacked /!a in the first place, Sheila could not ha!e had her dismissed from Mil ards, and /ric and "erald ould not ha!e met her in the 1alace bar. <ad she ne!er kno n /ric, she ould ne!er ha!e needed to go to the charity commission. This series of e!ents is closely associated ith 1riestley8s fascination ith time and ho things in time cause or are caused by others. #ime Time, hich deeply fascinated 1riestley, is a central theme in many of his orks. <e famously as interested in @unne8s theory of time, hich argued that the past as still present, and that time as not linear as many traditional accounts suggest. An Inspector Calls e2plicitly deals ith the nature of time in its final t ist9 has the play, e might onder, simply gone back in time= %s it all about to happen again= <o does the %nspector kno of the Gfire and blood and anguish,H usually interpreted as a foreshado ing of the ,irst and Second -orld -ars= #he Supernatural The %nspector8s name, though e2plicitly spelled G"ooleH in the play, is often interpreted through an alternati!e spelling9 Gghoul.H The %nspector, it seems, is not a GrealH Brumley police inspector, and 1riestley pro!ides no ans er as to hether e should belie!e his claim that he has nothing to do ith /!a Smith. -hat are e to make of the police inspector ho rings to announce his arri!al at the end of the play= %s the original %nspector, perhaps, a ghost= -hat forces are at ork in the play to make the Birlings really accept their responsibility and guilt= Social %uty

G-e do not li!e alone,H the %nspector says in his final speech, G e are members of one body.H This perhaps is the most important and central theme of the play9 that e ha!e a duty to other people, regardless of social status, ealth, class, or anything else. There is, 1riestley obser!es, such a thing as society, and he argues that it is important that people be a are of the effects of their actions on others. The Birlings, of course, initially do not think at all about ho they might ha!e affected /!a Smith, but they are forced to confront their likely responsibility o!er the course of the play.