Aims in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley
I am going to investigate what J.B.Priestley's main aim is in the play
"An Inspector Calls." I am going to find out how he attempts to
achieve this and investigate his use of characters and theatrical
devices as well as themes.
Background.
An Inspector Calls was written in 1945 after the Second World War
finished, J.B Priestley wrote it in one week. This showed that he was
urgent to get his message heard. The play explores the image of time,
and how someone's actions can affect someone else's life in the
future. Priestley hoped his play would crate the effect of difficult
unity amongst the public giving people the chance to look back on what
had occurred and learn from it. For example, two world wars, the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour and the titanic and not just carry on
life in the same way as before, otherwise everything that had been
fought for would have been worthless.
In the story an Inspector visits a wealthy and posh family, the
Birling's in the Edwardian era. The family were celebrating Sheila
Birling's engagement to Gerald Croft, who is also there, when the
Inspector arrives telling them that a young girl called Eva Smith had
committed suicide. At first they all denied that they knew Eva, but as
the inspector starts to question them he manages to show that they all
played a party in Eva's death. Mr Birling had Eva fired from his
factory for asking for a small increase in her wages; Sheila ordered
her to be fired from her job in a shop just because of her pride;
Gerald Croft kept her as his mistress before leaving her suddenly;
Eric Birling (son of Mr and Mrs Birling) also had an affair with the
girl and stole money to help her to have a better life; and Mrs
Birling didn't help Eva Smith when she needed it most, driving her to
suicide. After the Inspector visits we can see which of the characters
have learned their lesson from what the Inspector had said, the
There would be more of an effect on the audience at the time, as it
Criticism in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley "An Inspector Calls" has been called a play of social criticism. What is being criticised. Explain some of the dramatic techniques which Priestley uses to achieve the play's effects. "An Inspector Calls" has been called a play of social criticism as Priestley condemned the many different injustices that existed in the society between the first and second world wars.
She is fairly new to the work world and has lied on her resume’ to get hired, and realizes that the job is harder than she first thought. All hope is not lost because Violet assures her that she can be trained. She ends up succeeding at the company and telling her husband she will not take him back after he comes back begging for her love again.
and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of a body. We are
for each other. And I tell you that a time will soon come when if men
she needed more money. So she said to him give me 25/6 because of that
The story begins with a dark tone as she address how her audience feels about her actions.
"And be quiet for a moment and listen to me. I don't need to know any
§ He is obviously in a great hurry towards the end of the play: he
Priestley’s Main Aim in An Inspector Calls JB Priestly wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’ to enhance the message that ‘we don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other’. This is something Priestly felt strongly about and he succeeded in representing his views through the character of the Inspector in the play itself. He wanted to communicate the message that our actions, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, always affect others.
her and her business to become the way how she had wanted and to make sure that her
In the beginning of the story, the dialogue shows how Rachel Robinson reacts to getting fired from her job. Rachel’s boss believes that the customers that come to the restaurant don’t like her because of her skin color. “Rachel I am sorry, you are going to have .I have been working hard at my job?” This
family, but it must not be 'cosy’ or homely. The lighting is to be a
identity and how little she is respected by all.
“excessive” belief in her own superiority to others and her own attractiveness, leading her to the