An Inspector Calls

Characters
1. Mr Arthur Birling
  1. Owns a factory
  2. Worked himself up from working class
  3. Proud to own a business
  4. Doesn't feel any connection to Eva's death
  5. "knighthood"
  6. "A sign or token of their self-respect"
  7. "Community and all that nonsense"
  8. "Mixed up like bees in a hive"
  9. Fired Eva from his factory
2. Mrs Sybil Birling
  1. Married below herself
  2. Same views about classes as her husband
  3. Has high authority over her children
  4. Just believes she did her duty
  5. Turned Eva away when she wanted help
    1. Believes it's all Eric's fault (before she knows it was him)
  6. "Husband's social superior"
  7. "Girls of that class"
  8. "Only a boy"
  9. "You know him Gerold and you're a man"
  10. "I did my duty"
3. Gerold Birling
  1. Shiela's fiancee
  2. Very high class
  3. Had an affair with the now prostitute 'Daisy'
  4. "fairy prince"
  5. "Fresh and charming"
  6. "Hard eyed dough faced women"
  7. "I'm rather more upset by this business"
4. Sheila Birling
  1. About to be married
  2. Mid 20s
  3. S got her fired from her shop job because was in a bad mood that day
    1. Feels responsible
  4. "Musn't build a wall between us and that girl"
  5. "Girls aren't cheap labour they're people"
  6. "Fairy prince"
  7. "It was my own fault"
5. Eric Birling
  1. Works for his Dad
  2. Big drinker
  3. Batchelor
  4. Slept with Eva a few times, got her pregnant and then stole money to give to her
  5. "Drunken, young idler
  6. "I wasn't in love with her or anything
  7. "Pale and distressed"
  8. "Not the kind of father a chap could go to"
  9. "She wasn't the usual sort"
6. Eva Smith
  1. Committed suicide by drinking bleach
  2. Strong willed
    1. Believed in her rights
  3. "Good looking girl"
  4. "She had a lot to say"
  5. "Wasn't the usual sort"
  6. "they're people"
  7. "Millions and millions and millions of Eva and John Smiths"
7. Edna
  1. Represents working class
    1. Omnipresent
  2. No surname
  3. Few lines
    1. Very short
  4. Shows how the lower class are treated by upper
  5. Doesn't say anything for herself
    1. Speaking for others
    2. Too low for an opinion
  6. "Edna'll answer it"
  7. "Edna does and goes out"
  8. "announcing"
8. Inspector Goole
  1. Middle Class
  2. Doesn't disclose anything that isn't immediately important
  3. Threatens Mrs B's authority
  4. "Sharp ring"
  5. "Then I'd prefer you to stay"
  6. "Millions and millions and millions"
  7. "All intertwined"
  8. "taught in fire and flood and anguish"
Themes
1. Attitudes towards women
  1. Male characters towards women
  2. Women characters towards others
  3. The Inspector's perspective on women
  4. "My husband was lord mayor"
  5. "A young unmarried girl"
  6. "Hard eye, dough faced women"
  7. "You know him Gerold you're a man
  8. "Girl"
  9. "Women"
2. Class
  1. "Mixed up like bees in a hive"
  2. "Girls of that class"
  3. "Community of all that nonsense"
  4. "Hard eye dough face women"
  5. "Musn't build a wall between us and that girl"
  6. "Stalls bar at the Palace Variety Theatre"
3. Generation Gap
  1. Old
    1. Set in their ways
    2. Do anything to protect themselves
    3. Had a lot to fear
    4. Never had to examine themselves
    5. Sybil
    6. Arthur
    7. Unable to admit they did anything wrong
  2. New
    1. open to new ideas
    2. Honest + admit their faults
    3. See the human side to Eva's story
    4. Nothing to fear
    5. Gerold
      1. Caught in the middle
    6. Shiela
    7. Eric
    8. Accept their role in Eva's death and feel guilty
  3. "Musn't build a wall between us and that girl"
  4. "Girl"
  5. "Only a boy"
  6. "Isn't going to do us much good"
  7. "Youngster"
  8. "Childish"
  9. "I did my duty"
  10. "It was my own fault"
Historical context
1. 1912
  1. Coal miners strike
    1. Workers rights
  2. Women were treated lower
  3. Big divide between class
  4. No welfare state (NHS)
  5. 2 Years before the war
  6. Titanic
  7. AIC was set
2. 1945
  1. The war ended
  2. Women have votes
  3. War debts
    1. Not much money for everyone
  4. EU was being formed
  5. Many concentration camps were liberated
  6. Less babies being born
  7. AIC was written
    1. Allows audience to have hindsight
Stage directions
1. Adds to the story
  1. Highlights words and phrases
2. Gives insight into the characters thoughts and feelings
  1. Gives insight into J.B. Priestley's feelings and opinions
J.B. Priestley
1. Fought in the first world war
2. Was very politically active
  1. Wrote political messages into his plays
  2. A part of the 'Common Wealth Party'
3. Most of his plays were ground-breaking and controversial

Next up

An Inspector Calls

Description

Resource summary

Similar

	Created by Rhianna Bromwich over 6 years ago