An Inspector Calls - Class/Social Status

Question 1

Whys: 1

Answer 1

Priestley uses An Inspector Calls as a vehicle to convey his concern with the nature of social
inequality and its effects upon the vulnerable or disempowered within society.

Question 2

Whys: 2

Answer 2

Throughout the play, Priestley promotes the view that societal problems can only be solved if
people accept collective responsibility and support one another, treating each other as equal
irrespective of their socio-economic backgrounds.

Question 3

Whys: 3

Answer 3

Through his decision to stage the entirety of the play in the Birling’s dining room, Priestley
criticises the self-absorbed nature of the middle and upper-class society within Edwardian
England, who rarely looked beyond their own needs and desires.

Question 4

Whys: 4

Answer 4

Through the Inspector’s interrogation, Priestley exposes the façade of respectability and the
hypocrisy of the upper-class by revealing the reality of what goes on behind closed doors.

Question 5

Whys: 5

Answer 5

Through the ostensible obliviousness of Mr and Mrs Birling when discussing the actions of
Gerald, Eric and Alderman Meggarty, Priestley emphasises that ignorance is often a conscious
decision to avoid social embarrassment or to justify the decision not to act or accept
responsibility.

Question 6

Whys: 6

Answer 6

Through the final speech of the Inspector, Priestley warns the audience of the potential
consequences of failing to accept responsibility. He relates this to Christian duty, and reminds
the audience that their actions of earth will dictate how they are judged in the afterlife.

Question 7

Whys: 7

Answer 7

By juxtaposing the characters of Eva Smith and Sheila Birling, Priestley exposes the disparity
between classes within the Edwardian era, whereby young women like Sheila led incredibly
over-protected and sheltered lifestyles whereas young women like Eva had no means of
protection at all, and were forced to face starvation and resort to prostitution due to a lack of
support from society.

Question 8

Whys: 8

Answer 8

Priestley’s presentation of the senior Birlings serves to exemplify the peril of misused
responsibility. They represent the middle and upper classes during the Edwardian era who
harboured misapprehensions about the nature of their ‘duty’ to justify their abuse of power.