An Inspector Calls Messages

Question 1

Responsibility

Answer 1

Priestley argues that true responsibility extends beyond legal obligation — it is a social duty to care for others. Priestley urges the audience to look beyond selfish individualism and recognise the ripple effects of every action, calling us to live with empathy, not indifference.

Question 2

Guilt

Answer 2

Priestley explores guilt as a necessary catalyst for change. While younger characters embrace it and grow, the older generation resists it — highlighting the moral decay of those who refuse accountability. Priestley challenges the audience to confront guilt not as weakness, but as a step toward redemption and reform.

Question 3

Social Class

Answer 3

Priestley exposes the brutal injustice of a classist society, where the poor are disposable and the wealthy are untouchable. He compels the audience to examine how class divisions dehumanise the proletariat — and to question a system that values privilege over people.

Question 4

Gender

Answer 4

Priestley critiques the deeply rooted misogyny of Edwardian society, that women are judged, discarded, and silenced unless they conform to male-defined expectations. Priestley challenges the audience to recognise how gender inequality is embedded in both social systems and everyday attitudes, and motivates the audience to dismantle it through awareness, empathy, and action.

Question 5

Generational Divide

Answer 5

While the older generation clings to denial and status, the younger characters show remorse and moral growth. Priestley offers hope to the audience, that change is possible, but only if the new generation corrects the mistakes of the past. In doing so, Priestley urges the audience to act as a catalyst for change, emphasising how there is only hope for the future if the younger generation initiates change.

Question 6

Ideology

Answer 6

Priestley produces an uncompromising critique of capitalism, framing it as a system built on exploitation and indifference. Through the Inspector’s message of collective responsibility, Priestley advocates socialism not only as a political option, but as a moral imperative. Priestley demands the audience confront the human cost of profit-driven thinking, and instead imagine a society founded on equality, compassion, and shared accountability—before the cycle of injustice repeats itself again.