How Does Priestley Use Power In An Inspector Calls

In An Inspector Calls, John Boynton Priestley uses the characters, actions and their consequences to show the lack of social responsibility and exploitation of power in 1912. He uses the character’s actions and their reactions to what the inspector reveals to show the different ways in which people are exploited, such as for financial gain, self-esteem and sexual desires. He shows the misuse of these things and teaches the audience an important lesson about inequality.

In Act 1, Priestley uses the sacking of Eva Smith by Mr Birling as a way to show how the lower class were exploited for financial gain, and the stubbornness of the rich by defending himself. Firstly, Eva Smith gets sacked for asking for a raise. Mr Birling justifies his refusal

This ultimately would increase their labour costs. It shows that he only cares about profit. This is further reinforced when he says “It is my duty to keep labour costs down, and if I’d agreed to this demand for a new rate we’d have added about twelve percent to our labour costs.” He not only admits to being selfish, it is also ironic for Mr Biring to talk about the abstract noun, ‘duty’ when he is forgetting his own duty to society. In addition to this, when he says “It is my duty to keep labour costs down”, it shows that he is very open about how he really cares about his business. Not only this, Mr Birling says he expects any other businessman to do the same. It is entirely possible that these are the unwritten standards that have been set upon the rich. If this is the standard, it gives the audience the idea of the lack of care for others and paints the picture that every man is in it for himself.

Sheila meets Eva Smith at Milwards whilst shopping. She explained the incident to the Inspector. She says “I caught sight of this girl smiling at Miss Francis - as if to say: ‘Doesn’t she look awful’ - and I was very furious.” Sheila calls Eva Smith the pronoun “girl” to show her insignificance to Sheila, contrasting heavily to her calling the manager “Miss Francis”. It exemplifies the difference in how she treats people, depending on their social status and power. The verb “caught” indicates that she believes she has ‘caught’ Eva Smith red-handed committing a crime. Furthermore, it also indicates how she wants to be treated like a goddess. And that she cannot take criticism well, especially from the lower class. Not only this, when she says “Doesn’t she look awful” it displays to the audience that she feels rather threatened if someone from the lower class is happier than her and is taking advantage of her. She proves this by automatically associating lower class workers who are smiling are actually mocking her. Though Eva Smith didn’t say anything to her, Sheila’s mind automatically thought bad of her. It highlights that she thinks people like Eva Smith are always up to no good. It also displays to the audience that the rich are very insecure despite their wealth, and that they rely heavily on the public’s admiration of them as a way to increase their pride, ego