Jean: When the play begins, the family is celebrating Sheila and Gerald's engagement. Let's start with Gerald since he's the only one who isn't a Birling. We get our first introduction to Gerald through the stage directions: Carl: One thing you notice reading the play is the clear differences in attitudes and values between the Birling parents and the Birling children. Carl: Throughout the play, we can see just how much of Eva's fate is in the hands of men like Mr Birling, who fired her, Gerald who had an affair with her. There's Eric who is the father of her unborn child and who failed to take responsibility and look after her and the baby. Priestley uses these characters to symbolise men, and what they do to people they view as less than them. Sheila: (taking out the ring) Oh – it's wonderful! Look – mummy – isn't it a beauty? Oh – darling - (she kisses Gerald hastily.)\ a b Priestley, J. B. (1947). Bezant, Tim (ed.). An Inspector Calls: A Play in Three Acts (1992ed.). London: Heinemann. pp.xi–xiv. ISBN 0-435-23282-7.

The Inspector then turns his questioning to Mrs Birling. It is revealed that Eva, pregnant and destitute, had approached a women's charity headed by Mrs Birling for help. Eva used the name 'Mrs Birling,' which greatly offended Sybil. Without investigating Eva's circumstances, she used her influence to deny her the assistance she sought, driving her further into despair. Mrs Birling: all a lot of nonsense – I didn't believe a word of it. Inspector: I'm not asking you if you believed it. I want to know what she said. Why didn't she want to take any more money from this boy? Jean: By the end of the play, it's revealed the inspector isn't actually a local inspector, but it's not revealed who he really is. Priestly leaves it up to the audience to imagine who he could beAn Inspector Calls at The Royal Exchange 1986". www.abouttheartists.com . Retrieved 20 January 2023. The Library's buildings remain fully open but some services are limited, including access to collection items. We're Perfect for independent work or homework, the finished booklet is useful for reference nearer to the exam.

Carl: When the dinner party starts you can tell that Eric isn't very confident. And at one point, he tries to stand up to his father, but his father talks down to him. we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together - for lower costs and higher prices." Priestley, J.B. (1950). Introduction to the Plays of J.B.Priestly. Vol.III. London: Heinemann. pp.xii–xiii. Mrs Birling: When you're married, you will realise that men with important work sometimes need to spend all their time and energy on their business. You will have to get used to that just as I had. Jean: In the first half of the play, she speaks gaily, half serious, half playful. But by the end of the play, she speaks severely and passionately.An Inspector Calls at Theatr Clwyd and others 1987". www.abouttheartists.com . Retrieved 20 January 2023.

Carl: Yes, the final theme of the play is gender. So we know that An Inspector Calls was written after World War Two. At that time, many British men had left their homes and their towns to go and fight during the war. Women had to step in to fill the jobs that men usually did. Birling: (raising his glass) So here's wishing the pair of you – the very best that life can bring. Gerald and Sheila.

Curriculum

Jean: The apple does not fall very far from the tree in this case. But unlike her mother, Sheila immediately feels guilty for her actions and takes responsibility for the negative effect they had on Eva's life. Mr Birling is a business man whose main concern is making money. This is what is most important to him and he comes across as being greedy.

An Inspector Calls is a modern morality play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley, first performed in the Soviet Union in 1945 [1] and at the New Theatre in London the following year. [2] It is one of Priestley's best-known works for the stage and is considered to be one of the classics of mid-20th century English theatre. The play's success and reputation were boosted by a successful revival by English director Stephen Daldry for the National Theatre in 1992 [3] and a tour of the UK in 2011–2012. Jean: We'll talk about this more in episode four and seven, but the inspector is a mouthpiece for JB Priestley's own views on this too. Jean: She shows us that she's insightful and intelligent. She can see where the inspector's investigation is going and tries to warn her family not to deny the role they played in Eva Smith's death.Mrs Birling: (rather cowed) she said that the father was only a youngster – silly and wild and drinking too much. There couldn't be any question of marrying him – it would be wrong for them both. He had given her money but she didn't want to take any more money from him. Carl: Priestley wanted to highlight the importance of social responsibility by reminding the audience of what the world would be like without it. A lot of people had health conditions and couldn't afford to go to the hospital. Some people had lost their jobs and didn’t have enough money to rent out somewhere else to live. And many people couldn't really afford to buy food or look after themselves and their families. Social Responsibility: The play underscores the idea that every individual is responsible for their actions and their impact on others, particularly those less fortunate. The Inspector's probing questions force each character to confront their actions towards Eva Smith, emphasizing the interconnectedness of society.