An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestly In this essay, I will examine, compare, and contrast the roles of the three women in the play. The three women are different from each other in almost everyway. One is a poor, working, class girl, who is a victim of society. The second is a wealthy middle class girl, who represents the heart of society and a new generation of middle class women; the last is a wealthy, middle class homemaker, who believes in traditional values. Each of the three characters represents the structure of society at that time. Eva Smith (Daisy Renton) represents the victims of Edwardian society, because she is not wealthy or well off, like Sheila and Mrs. Birling. Instead, she is a normal working class girl, who is fired and whilst she is out of work, she becomes pregnant, by the Birlings. She manages to go on until she feels that everyone is against her. She is alone and no one supports her. The upper class look down at her, treating her as if she is nothing. Ordinary working class women were expected to do as they were told and not to cause trouble. Sheila is Mrs. Birling's daughter, and she represents the new generation, and hope for the future. Sheila is a typical middle class girl because she loves expensive things, for example, her reaction to Gerald's ring, "OH-it's wonderful." In addition, she is proud of being rich and having all these wonderful things as she shows them off, "Look-mummy-isn't it a beauty". As a typical girl she loves clothes, as this is shown when she talks continuously about clothes and Eric leaves," I left 'em talking about clothes again. You'd think a girl had never had any clothes before she gets married." Nevertheless, she is a hope for future generations as she has a social conscience. She was shocked when Mr. Birling admits to sacking Eva, "Sorry. It's just that I can't help thinking about this girl, destroying herself so horribly." She also is full of remorse, because she wished she had not insisted
Priestley mainly uses the characters in the play to present his views, especially Mr and Mrs Birling, to present his ideas about class and society. In the Birling family, Mrs Birling is the most upper class, and is always referring to the lower class female factory workers such as Eva Smith as ‘girls of that class’. She seems to think that working class people are not humans at all.
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.
and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of a body. We are
How Priestly Uses the Characters to Represent His Own Views on Society The play "An Inspector Calls" is set in 1912 but was written in 1945. Edwardian society at that time (1912) was strictly divided into social classes and over two-thirds of the nation's wealth was in the hands of less than 1% of the population. Below the very rich were the middle classes (doctors and merchants, shop workers and clerks), after that came the craftsmen and skilled workers. At the very bottom of the social ladder was the largest class of all - the ordinary workers and the poor, many of whom lived below the poverty level. The men of industry treated the workers very badly and they were paid pittance.
for each other. And I tell you that a time will soon come when if men
This coursework focuses on how each character contributes to the suicide of a poor girl Eva Smith/Daisy Renton.
to say for herself she gets the sack. And this is what the author is
An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley In the introduction of Act One, we are given a few brief details about
a large meal that has been set out for them by the maids. This is also
An Inspector Calls' is primarily focused on he attitudes surrounding the higher classes in 1912, and how these attitudes can lead to actions with potentially devastating consequences. The attitudes are particularly aimed at women, especially those of working class status. In the play women are portrayed as second class citizens, after men. However the difference (e.g. in independence) between upper class men and women is greater than that of working class men and women.
In this essay I will examine how Priestly ends each act on a note of
§ He is obviously in a great hurry towards the end of the play: he
his speech' showing he is not from the class he now is in. He is
He uses the downfall of Eva Smith and a chain of events to demonstrate this. This leads to a very convincing and well-devised play, which puts across JB Priestley’s views clearly and precisely. In Edwardian Britain there was a great difference in the roles of men and women in society and the outlook of what and was not accepted differed substantially. A prime example of this in the play is when Mr Birling says ‘Nothing to do with you, Sheila.
she felt the most guilt and remorse for what she had done to the young