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Essay On The Birling Family In An Inspector Calls

800 Words4 Pages

“An Inspector Calls” is a play written by the social commentator, J.B. Priestley, speculating the morality of the class system back in 1945 and dramatizes it by setting it in 1912, just before the First World War. Priestly focuses on one family and their involvement in the death of a young girl, to outline the importance of social responsibility and flaws of the upper class. The Birling family is introduced in the first act as the curtain opens. We are told that the head of the family is Arthur Birling who is a manufacturer. His wife, Sybil is a socialite and appears to be a rather "cold" woman. Then, they have two children, Sheila, their beautiful daughter, and Eric, their shy son. Lastly, they have a guest with them, who is Sheila 's fiancé, Gerald Croft, who is the heir to a business fortune. Although the family may appear to be happy, jovial and functioning, throughout Act One Priestly implies that there is trouble brewing under the surface, and is very close to erupting. The contrast at the beginning, when Priestly is outlining the stage setting, “heavily comfortable... not cozy”. This emphasizes the fact how everything is materialistic, and only for show, nothing they own hold any personal values, which could imply the relationships between Mr. and Ms. Birling and Sheila and Gerald, are only for show and are being used …show more content…

This presented when Gerald chose and bought the engagement ring for Sheila, without her opinion. Shelia just accepts this and doesn’t seem to question his decision, “is this the one you wanted me to have?”, this shows her willingness to be controlled. As well as this the reader finds out that Gerald did not come near Sheila all summer, suggesting an affair, which Sheila suspects him of. Gerald’s lack of honesty and his commanding nature foreshadow the inevitable end of their

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In An Inspector calls, Priestley uses The Inspector to present injustice in society through his questioning of the Birling family and Gerald Croft. The Inspector gradually uncovers the selfish and unjust acts which the family enacts upon the lower classes through their abuse of their power and status over people, not showing the slightest bit of care for their wellbeing, barely treating their workers as individual beings with their own lives and emotions, just caring about the money they are making for them, and treating the lower class in general as lower beings in general, not being worth the time to understand or sympathise with. The Inspector exposes the acts of injustice by the upper class towards the lower classes through his questioning

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J.B Priestly wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’ in 1945, the last year of World War 2 but sets it in 1912 a time of inequality where upper and lower class was distinguished and treated differently within society and where a big gap existed among poor and rich people. The play introduces us to the theme of social inequality and social responsibility displaying the fact that trade unions were very weak, workers had few rights, wages were very low and many other injustices where made specially towards women; they were treated very differently then men and they were looked on as less important in society. Lighting is changed at the arrival of the Inspector "The lighting should be pink and intimate until the Inspector arrives, and then it should be brighter and harder" this displays a contrast between scenes and atmosphere. It also shows the change in mood; suggesting a cheerful environment and a very joyfully and delight mood, everybody feeling thrilled for Shelia 's engagement and celebrating united as a family. But it changes to "brighter and harder" at the arrival of the Inspector and

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