Discuss the significance of money in An Inspector Calls. You must consider language, form and structure in your answer. In the play ‘An Inspector calls’ J.B. Priestley utilises the significance of money and its effects on varying classes by emphasising how money can corrupt and distort societies priorities and sense of moral character in order to prove money is the root of society's problems. His characterisation of the Birlings and how they affected Eva Smith highlights the detrimental effects of class inequality. Priestley emphasises how money can corrupt and distort societies priorities along with people's sense of moral character with the intent to promote socialist ideologies. Through his creation of the character Mr Birling, who’s …show more content…
She rejects the traditional views of her older parents allowing for a socialist society to be created. Her engagement to Gerald Croft ‘means a tremendous lot’ to Mr Birling since it ensures that ‘Birlings and Crofts are no longer competing but working together’ proving that he is willing to sacrifice his own daughter's happiness for business. Consequently, Priestly highlights the moral corruption in the Edwardian era; by exposing the injustices of capitalism in order to promote …show more content…
Priestley does this in order to portray her as morally hypocritical. She is unaware of the suffering others endure and only accepts convenient ‘truths’ that ‘didn’t take long’ for her to get out of Eva. Mrs Birlings’ biased and unsympathetic refusal of Eva is what ultimately led her to the extent of suicide; yet Mrs Birling believes she has ‘done nothing wrong’ since she believes that it ‘was her own fault’. Further conveying how she has the ignorant view that Eva chose the life she led rather than accepting the social responsibility. The Birlings would rather pay their way out of conflict than admit they did something wrong which shows selfish capitalist ideologies. Through suggesting that abusing money has fatal consequences, Priestley highlights that money controls society in such a way that money does not have the capability to solve nor stop the issues it