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zAn Inspector Calls > Characters > Flashcards

Characters Flashcards

1
Q

Inspector Goole: What does the inspector represent?

A

Socialism and morality.

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2
Q

Inspector Goole: What kind of figure is he?

A

He is mysterious and a powerful figure and isn’t intimidated by the Birlings’ superior class.

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3
Q

Inspector Goole: How does the inspector create conflict and tension?

A

He exposes the other characters on stage.

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4
Q

Inspector Goole: “[harshly] Yes, but you can’t. It’s too late. She’s dead”. (Act 1)

A

Short sentences make the statement harsher, with more pauses for emphasis.
“[harshly]” he doesn’t care about their feelings.
“You can’t” direct address and imperative used to evoke regret and make them feel personally attacked.
“She’s dead” simple statement carries more power.

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5
Q

Inspector Goole: “Apologise for what - doing my duty?” - (Act 2)

A

A character who refuses to be intimidated. They try to intimidate him lots by the adults but he refuses to apologise to them.

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6
Q

Inspector Goole: “Their lives, their hopes, their suffering, and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives” - (Act 3)

A

The use of emotive words helps us empathise with the victims like Eva Smith.

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7
Q

Inspector Goole: What is unusual about his surname?

A

Goole/ghoul suggests mystery and perhaps the idea that the inspector isn’t real.

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8
Q

Inspector Goole: In what ways does he expose the other characters?

A

He reveals their secrets and their bad behaviour, challenging their views of themselves.

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9
Q

Arthur Birling: What are Mr Birling’s apparitions?

A

He believes he believes he has wisdom and experience but Priestly uses dramatic irony to undermine this with him calling the titanic, “unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”.
He is wealthy and pleased with himself but wishes for greater social status.

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10
Q

Arthur Birling: Is Birling the head of the house?

A

He is dominant and a patriarchal character.

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11
Q

Arthur Birling: Why does Priestly give Birling the greatest number of lines and have him interrupt and give orders?

A

To establish his dominant character and his status as the head of the family.

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12
Q

Arthur Birling: What phrase does he repeat to show his self-confidence?

A

“Hard-headed business man”

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13
Q

Arthur Birling: As well as his love for his daughter, why is he pleased about his engagement to Gerald?

A

He hopes it will link his factory with Croft’s factory and improve his social status.

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14
Q

Arthur Birling: Why is Birling’s confident belief that there will be no war important?

A

Dramatic irony, we know there was a war 2 years later, it shows he isn’t as clever as he thinks and doesn’t really understand society/the world.

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15
Q

Arthur Birling: “Working together - for lower costs and higher prices” - (Act 1)

A

He is a fixed capitalist who looks for a profit anywhere, even at the expense of people.

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16
Q

Arthur Birling: “You’ve got a lot to learn yet. And I’m talking as a hard-headed, practical man of business.” - (Act 1)

A

He has no concept of value other than wealth or social status, as he himself is a social climber. He believes that he and his wife uphold right values.

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17
Q

Arthur Birling: “And we don’t guess - we’ve had experience - and we know” - (Act 1)

A

He has a very high opinion of himself and his experience, but throughout the play we see his judgements about individuals, as well as about politics, exposed as misplaced.

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18
Q

Sybil Birling: What kind of women is she?

A

A hypocrite and a bad mother. She presents herself as moral and charitable despite this.

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19
Q

Sybil Birling: In what ways is she superior within the play?

A

She sees herself as superior to people of the lower class.

But she is actually a traditional female character at home.

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20
Q

Sybil Birling: “Girls of that class -“, “That sort” - (Act 2)

A 
Shows that she feels superior to Eva Smith and the class she’s in. 
“That sort” of girl shows her dislike of the lower class and what she sees as Eva’s lack of sexual decency.
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21
Q

Sybil Birling: “I think she only had herself to blame” - (Act 2)

A

She feels no sympathy for Eva and accepts no responsibility as she feels as if she is superior of her class.

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22
Q

Sybil Birling: “Besides you’re not they that type - you don’t get drunk - “ - (Act 3)

A

She misidentifies her son, Eric, showing she doesn’t pay attention to him as she is more superior to him in the household. And doesn’t truly love him.

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23
Q

Sybil Birling: In what ways does Sybil conform to the gender expectations of the time?

A

She normally takes Arthur’s lead & follows his instructions.

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24
Q

Sybil Birling: Why does she feel superior to others?

A

She believes she lives a moral life and she thinks her wealth and social status make her more important. She draws on Arthur’s status to support this.

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25
Q

Sybil Birling: What does her charity role show about her?

A

She’s a hypocrite. She pretends to care but just likes to judge.

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26
Q

Sybil Birling: What is her relationship with Eric like?

A

She treats him like a child, doesn’t understand his feelings and is unaware of his problems.

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27
Q

Sheila Birling: How does she get Eva Smith sacked?

A

After Eva “smilies at her laughing” she uses her status to have her sacked.
She has a pen easy happy life with a high social status.

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28
Q

Sheila Birling: How does she react to the Inspector and respond to her actions/involvement?

A

She shows some guilt for what happened but is also busy feeling sorry for herself.
Unlike the rest of the family, she realises that the Inspector already knows the full story.

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29
Q

Sheila Birling: “I’ll never, never do it again to anybody” - (Act 1)

A

Already showing that she is willing to reform.

“Never, never” repetition shows her genuine concern for feeling sorry.

30
Q

Sheila Birling: “No –he’s giving us the rope so that we’ll hang ourselves.” Act 2.

A

Metaphor. Perceptive understanding of how the Inspector is dealing with the family.

31
Q

Sheila Birling: “Mother - I begged you and begged you to stop” - (Act 2)

A

Repetition of begged and mother show her development from the being of the play when she calls Mrs Birling “Mummy” instead. She was right in hindsight.

32
Q

Sheila Birling: Why does Sheila have social status?

A

She is the daughter of a very wealthy businessman and is dating a man from an upper-class family, Gerald Croft, the Crofts.

33
Q

Sheila Birling: What feelings caused her to have Eva sacked?

A

She thinks she is being laughed at, is in a bad mood and is jealous of Eva’s prettiness.

34
Q

Sheila Birling: How does Sheila begin to change?

A

She begins to accept her responsibility and sympathises with Eva’s life.

35
Q

Sheila Birling: What does she realise about Eric, long before the rest of the family?

A

He is the father of Eva’s baby.

36
Q

Eric Birling: Why does Eric seem different to the other characters at the start of the play?

A

He isn’t paired with another character, like his parents and Shiela and Gerald, so he seems isolates, he is the last to speak and he behaves strangely.

37
Q

Eric Birling: How does he disagree with his father about the factory workers?

A

He thinks they had every right to go on strike and his father treated them badly.

38
Q

Eric Birling: How does he feel about his behaviour?

A

He is ashamed.

39
Q

Eric Birling: What does he feel about his relationship with his parents?

A

He dislikes them and feels they’ve never tried to understand him.

40
Q

Eric Birling: “Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?” - (Act 1)

A

At the start of the play, Eric shows that he can be assertive. Here he questions his father’s decision to sack Eva Smith. He backs up his point with a well-reasoned argument. His father quickly shouts him down though.

41
Q

Eric Birling: “I hate these fat old tarts round the town - the ones I see some of your respectable friends with - “ - (Act 3)

A

Shows Eric critizing the upper-class for using prostitutes and their hypocrisy.

42
Q

Eric Birling: “you killed them both - damn you, damn you - “ - (Act 3)

A

Places responsibility on his mother for killing his unborn child and is ashamed of his parents.

43
Q

Eric Birling: “I don’t know - really. Suddenly I felt I just had to laugh.”

A

The stage directions describe Eric as being ‘half shy, half assertive’ and this comes across in his dialogue. He is awkward and unsure of himself. Here he cannot explain his sudden laughter.

44
Q

Eric Birling: “(bursting out) What’s the use of talking about behaving sensibly. You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing’s really happened at all. And I can’t see it like that. This girl’s still dead, isn’t she? Nobody’s brought her to life, have they?”

A

Eric suddenly shows how he has been affected emotionally by Eva’s death. He asks the stark question ‘This girl’s still dead, isn’t she?’ He is clearly distressed and understands the gravity of the situation, he can’t understand why the others don’t.

45
Q

Eric Birling: What is gradually discovered about Eric as the play progresses?

A

He has a drinking problem.

46
Q

Gerald Croft: In what ways does Gerald pretend to be something he is not?

A

He refers to himself as “respectable” and has hidden his affair form his fiancée.

47
Q

Gerald Croft: Why does Arthur like Gerald?

A

Arthur appreciates Gerald as a businessman but is more interested in his social status as a member of the upper class.

48
Q

Gerald Croft: What were the honourable aspects of his part in Eva Smith’s life?

A

He gave her food and found her somewhere to live.

49
Q

Gerald Croft: What were the dishonourable aspects of his part in Eva Smith’s life?

A

He started an affair with her and then broke her heart.

50
Q

Gerald Croft: “We’re respectable citizens and not criminals” - (Act 1)

A

The Birlings believe that only lower class people are criminals and that just because they’re of a high class they are respectable citizens. Even though as we progress through the play we realise that they’re all convicted in a way.

51
Q

Gerald Croft: “We can keep it from him” - (Act 1)

A

There are many secrets in this family - many of whom care more about their image and reputation than actually about learning from or rectifying their mistakes.

52
Q

Gerald Croft: “I don’t come into this suicide business” Act 1

A

Referring to the death of Eva Smith, the noun “business” dehumanises Eva Smith.

53
Q

Gerald Croft: “She didn’t blame me at all. I wish to god she had now” Act 2

A

Shows that he takes responsibility for his actions unlike most characters in the situation.

54
Q

Gerald Croft: “for God’s sake - don’t say anything to the Inspector” Act 1

A

Gerald tries to conceal information from the Inspector, not realising that he already knows everything.

55
Q

Eva Smith: Which two sections of society does Eva Smith represent?

A

The working class and women.

56
Q

Eva Smith: In what different ways is she treated badly by characters in the play?

A

Arthur sack her for wanting more money, Sheila has her sacked unfairly, Gerald helps her but then makes her his lover and breaks her heart, Eric gets her pregnant and Mrs Birling refuses to help her.

57
Q

Eva Smith: In what ways does she appear to have better values than the working class?

A

She is hardworking (opposed to Sheila and Eric) and she refuses to take Eric’s money once she thinks it is stolen.

58
Q

Eva Smith: (Birling) “A good worker too. In fact, the foreman there told me he was ready to promote her into what we call a leading operator” Act 1

A

Eva Smith shows that she is strong-willed when she organises a strike fro higher wages. This shows she isn’t afraid to stand up to “hard-headed” businessmen like Mr Birling.

59
Q

Eva Smith: How is Eva described?

A

She is only described by others, never seen.

60
Q

Eva Smith: “I caught sight of this girl smiling” Act 1

A

Eva shows that she has a sense of humour when she smilies as Sheila truss on a dress that doesn’t suit her. The audience warm to Eva and see her as human.
If the writer hadn’t shown this side to Eva then she might have come across as ‘too good to be true’ and would not be believable as a character.

61
Q

Eva Smith: Inspector: “There are a lot of young women living that sort of existence in every city and big town in this country” Act 1

A

Shows how this isn’t just one occurrence and happens a lot and society just turns a blind eye to it all, because it is the upper vs working class all the time.

62
Q

Eva Smith: Inspector: “She was here alone, friendless, almost penniless, desperate” Act 2

A

Short sharp horrible facts about her should strike the family with guilt and should take responsibility but some still don’t.

63
Q

Eva Smith: Inspector: “Just used her […] as if she was an animal, a thing, not a person” Act 3

A

Shows how in the upper class society they believed that women were assets, items of them and didn’t really care about their mental well-being.

64
Q

Edna: What does Edna show about the Birlings’ attitude to the working class?

A

Edna’s role as a servant shows that the Birlings are happy to employ people to fulfil their needs; the idea of having some below them, in a position of inequality, doesn’t trouble them. Only replies with “ma’am” and “sir” to show the difference in class.

65
Q

How the Characters Change: What is Arthur most worried about once the Inspector has left?

A

Public scandal.

66
Q

How the Characters Change: In what way do Eric and Sheila’s attitudes at the end of the play differ to those of their parents?

A

Eric and Sheila accept their guilt and know they need to change; their parents refuse to accept any responsibility.

67
Q

How the Characters Change: What does Gerald ask Sheila that shows he thinks nothing has changed?

A

He asks her to take the engagement ring again.

68
Q

How the Characters Change: What has changed between Eric and his parents?

A

Their lack of closeness and understanding has now been exposed and their relationship has deteriorated.

69
Q

How the Characters Change: Which characters don’t change?

A

Mr and Mrs Birling, and Gerald. Although disturbed by the night’s events, once they decide it’s a hoax, they return to normal.

Mr Birling, “there’ll be a public scandal - unless we’re lucky - and who here will suffer from that more than I will?”
Mrs Birling, “In the morning they’ll be as amused as we are”
Gerald, “Everything is alright now, Sheila”

70
Q

How the Characters Change: Which characters do reform?

A

Sheila and Eric are upset and regret their actions. They can’t understand their parents’ attitudes and begin to see that they must all change their behaviour.
Sheila, “you don’t seem to have learnt anything” (Act 3)
Eric, “You’re beginning to pretend now that nothing’s really happened”

zAn Inspector Calls (9 decks)

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