Inspector Calls Themes + Context Flashcards
Why does Priestley use literary allusion?
It helps to show that everyone is responsible(like how every1 is responsible for the death of Eva). For the first 2 acts, we can be sure that we’re in the plot of a mystery like Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie in 1934 and because it is a literary audience they will have read the book and recognise the similarities
Morality play-what are the 7 deadly sins?
Envy, gluttony, greed/avarice, lust, pride, sloth, wrath
Which characters match up to greed, envy, lust, gluttony and pride?
Arthur-greed, Sheila-envy, Gerald-lust(and capitalist greed), Eric-gluttony, sloth(which causes lust through his alcohol abuse), Sybil-pride
Who is considered most guilty with reference to the deadly sins?
The characters who have more than one are the most guilty and Priestley is more concerned about the sexual exploitation of women so perhaps Gerald and Eric..
What has Christianity got to do with morality plays?
Morality plays are deeply rooted in the Christian tradition-it’s Christian moral values which they taught. So Priestley uses Christian language deliberately using the words of the Anglican service-his audience would be familiar
How does the Inspector reference the Bible in his final lesson?
‘We are all members of one body’ biblical refernce to Romans and Corinthians(familiar with the words of communion and the breaking of the bread)
Why does Priestley use the biblical reference?
If his audience are already Christian then it is a smaller step to embracing the message of socialism because he uses the same words as the church and the Bible
What does Priestley imply about the eucharist?
That is is a communal experience but so is the theatre and therefore they are sharing it as the community-uses the same words to drum in the socialist message which could be seen as the same as the Christian message
How does Priestley use the Inspector to act as God?
In the book of Genesis, God creates these perfect people and gives them free will to either be good or go against his teachings. Likewise, the Inspector with his supernatural kind of understanding takes the place of God and gives them the free will to accept or deny the responsibility of what they did to Eva. Just like Adam and Eve failed to follow God’s teachings, most of the characters fail to follow the Inspector’s teachings
Why does the Inspector leave the play and not stay until the end?
