Social and Moral Issues in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls
In ‘An Inspector Calls’ Priestly explores many social and moral issues
that become clear as the plot and characters develop throughout the
play. Priestly wants to show the Birlings about collective
responsibility and consequences of their actions which I will go into
greater depth later. Priestly is concerned about class, poverty and
riches; factory work and women’s labour; women’s position in society,
unwanted pregnancy and prostitution and also the fact that society can
be fixed through taking collective responsibility to try and improve
all of these concerns and issues. Is this play morality or mystery?
The audience starts off by thinking the play is a simple whodunit but
end up with the realization that the play is a morality play.
‘An Inspector Calls’ is set in 1912 but written in 1944 and first
performed in 1945. These dates are significant because 1912 was the
year the Titanic sunk and was just before the First World War. Both of
these events are mention in the play and are taken for granted by Mr.
Birling who considers any mention of war or the Kaiser as
‘fiddlesticks’ and that ‘Germans don’t want war.’ We know now that
this was obviously not true and because the play was first performed
at the end of the Second World War we can look back and see how
ignorant and narrow minded the upper-middle class society the Birlings
represent were. This ignorance is also shown in Arthur Birlings
opinion about the Titanic. Whilst talking about it he claims the
Titanic is ‘unsinkable – absolutely unsinkable.’ He emphasizes
‘unsinkable’ to show how confident he is about the industrial strength
of the society at the time.
Throughout the play the Inspector is constantly trying to teach the
Birlings several social and moral issues. The main issue the Birlings
are faced with is collective responsibility. Each of the Birlings
plays a part in the death of Eva Smith. Although they did not kill Eva
Smith all of their individual actions all drove Eva Smith or Daisy
family, but it must not be 'cosy’ or homely. The lighting is to be a
for each other. And I tell you that a time will soon come when if men
After World War II, many countries have serious problems in almost all areas, political, social and economic. At one of the winners of the major issues after the war were the German question and the reason for the conflict between them, and led to the division of Germany and Europe.
but she seems to be a person who would only marry for love and not for
"And be quiet for a moment and listen to me. I don't need to know any
technology and how a man should live. He says 'A man has to make his
From 1939 to 1945 the majority of the world’s nations were part of a long deadly six-year war, World War II. These included two strong powerhouses, Great Britain and The United States. Millions died world wide, declaring World War II to be the most expansive war to date. The Holocaust, and the use nuclear weapons resulted in such a high death toll. Nations were in a state of “total war,” involving not just the military but also the entire nation. Civilians were aggressively aiding in supporting their military, creating a home front, making a significant impression on the result of the war. Rationing, defense and manpower were concerns for governments; and they made any economic and industrial change to support their efforts in aiding their nation and military.
The play is set two years before World War I, in 1912, and in the year
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.
Written in 1947, J.B. Priestley's didactic murder-mystery, An Inspector Calls, accentuates the fraudulent Edwardian era in which the play was set. Britain in 1912 was inordinately different to Britain in 1947, where a country annihilated by war was determined to right the wrongs of a society before them. In 1912 Britain was at the height of Edwardian society, known as the "Golden Age". A quarter of the globe was coloured red, denoting the vast and powerful Empire and all Britons, no matter what class they belonged to were proud to be British - the "best nation in the world".
J.B. Priestley's Motives Behind An Inspector Calls J.B. Priestley was born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1894. His mother
The result of World War II had tragic results for Japan, Germany, and also Italy. The United States and the Allies came out victorious once again but the cost of war greatly affected all the countries. Germany, Japan, and Italy now have more debts to pay and also lost much of their territory once again. The war took many lives and also ended up destroying many beautiful cities. World War II showed how not just the soldiers were affected in the war, but everyone in all the different countries were affected by the war.
Birlings, as they find out that they have all played a part in a young
Goole. Some the Birling family are used to show how we are not to act
WWII has a ripple effect across the globe causing changes both internationally and domestically. Internationally, The sun finally began to set over the British Empire with the majority of her majesties colonial possessions gaining independence in the years following the war. Britain’s stage left exit from its hegemonic role resulted in the start of a new “Great Game” between two burgeoning superpowers. A new world order began to take shape with the United States and USSR vying to establish their own hegemony.