In Inspector Calls Revision Guide

This revision guide for J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls focuses on character analysis, key themes, contextual background, and exam techniques.

Priestley’s Purpose and Context

• Purpose: The play is a morality piece written as a vehicle for Priestley’s socialist beliefs, promoting collective social responsibility and critiquing capitalism and the Birling family’s complacency.
• Historical Setting: Set in 1912, pre-WWI Britain, a time of rigid class divisions and privilege for the wealthy.
• Premiere Context: Premiered in 1945 to a post-WWII audience who had experienced the consequences of ignoring social responsibility.

Key Themes

• Social Responsibility: The central theme, arguing that people are “members of one body” and must care for one another.
• Class Inequality: Illustrated by Eva Smith’s powerlessness against the wealthy Birlings, critiquing capitalism’s exploitation.
• Generational Conflict: The younger generation (Sheila and Eric) show potential for moral growth, contrasting with their parents’ “outdated attitudes”.

Plot Summary Highlights

• Act One: Inspector Goole arrives to investigate Eva Smith’s suicide; Mr. Birling and Sheila are implicated.
• Act Two: Gerald’s affair with Eva (Daisy Renton) is revealed, and Mrs. Birling refused Eva help at her charity.
• Act Three: Eric confesses to getting Eva pregnant and stealing money; the Inspector delivers his final warning and departs, followed by news of a real police investigation.

Key Characters

• Mr. Birling: Embodies individualistic capitalism, showing arrogance, selfishness, and refusal to accept responsibility.
• Inspector Goole: Acts as Priestley’s voice and a moral judge, articulating socialist ideals and warning of future consequences (“fire and blood and anguish”).
• Sheila Birling: Undergoes the most significant transformation, moving from spoiled to embracing empathy and social responsibility.

Exam Strategy

• Always link analysis to themes, character development, and Priestley’s purpose.
• Context is crucial: discuss the 1912 setting and the 1945 audience’s perspective.
• Use PEEL paragraphs (Point, Evidence, Explain, Link) for structured analysis.