An Inspector

Calls
By: Arisa, Jireh, Timothé, Luna.
Guiding question
How does J.B Priestley convey the separation of
the relationships between the characters?
 Themes

CAPITALISM

LABOUR
WOMEN
Introduction
Who is J.B. Priestley?
- Life and career
- Political views

An Inspector Calls:
- Summary
- Time period
- Why was it written?
J.B Priestley life

Teenage years Adult

Childhood Young adult

Chronology of the play
2 Russian theatres Present day

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

WRITTEN ADAPTATIONS
1945 First movie: 1954
BBC: 2015
Epoch
When was it written? When was it set?

- Set in 1912
- written during World War 2 in 1945
- high social inequalities
- There is a social reconstruction
- women didn’t have a place
- The place of the woman was valued in society

- limitation of social differences

Intertextuality
Angel Pavement
Speculations within the family →
family dysfunction

Different beliefs in different

generations

→ capitalist VS socialist
 Capitalism
How does the use of the theme of capitalism portray the separation between
the characters?
Capitalism
What is Capitalism?

Capitalism and Social Classes

How does the use of the theme of capitalism portray the

separation between the characters?

→ Characterization (the Birlings and Eva)

→ Diction used by characters
→ Setting
(engagement party)

Representation of capitalism

Anti-capitalist culture
 Women
How do women portray the separation between the characters?
Women portrayed
in the play:
Three women portrayed: Sheila, Eva, Mrs Birling

- Sheila: at first naive, childish than maturing and independent

- Eva: victim of society, weak, desperate
- Mrs Birling: traditionalist old society

Place of the woman at the time was really reduced

Priestley hopes for an independant women generation: Sheila
Patriarchal society: over representation of men.

different representation of the woman within the social classes.

Pressure on women to be the most representable.

 Labour
To what extent is the separation of characters portrayed
through labour?
Labour
Page 6

- “silly talk” “Because what happened to her then may

- context Industrial Revolution: turmoil have determined what happened to her
- working conditions: working class afterwards, and what happened to her
- long hours, low wages, conditions, worker rights afterwards may have driven her to
- Mr Birling: capitalist world, firing=murder
suicide. A chain of events.”
- suicide during economic crises
- -Inspector
British journal of Psychiatry: 2008-2010

Quote

- decisions have consequences

- lower class; job, income
- privileged backgrounds: unscathed, strikes
- communication

Eva Smith “I caught sight of this girl

smiling at Miss Francis, as
- low class easy girl if to say: Doesn't she look
- page 14: destiny awful”
- promotion; leading operator, higher wage -Sheila
- page 24: Sheila admits jealousy
Ethical values
Birling and Company
- nuance
- right of an employer vs morality behind making decision

Dichotomy: point of view

- Mr Birling; firing Eva Smith
- Mrs Birling: personal feelings
- Sheila: selfish, Milwards. Context 1910, influenza, short handed, remorse

Younger generation vs Older generation

- eagerness vs socialistic ideology
- Eric: higher wages
- Mr Birling: costs down, profits

Eva Smith-Mr Birling. Sheila-Eva Smith. Eva Smith-Mrs Birling. Eric-Mr Birling
Bibliography
Haiken, M. (12 Jun 2014) More Than 10,000 Suicides Tied To Economic Crisis, Study Says. Forbes. Retrieved on 13
Oct 2021, from:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2014/06/12/more-than-10000-suicides-tied-to-economic-crisis-study-says/
?sh=4369a0207ae2

www.amazon.es/Inspector-Calls-Heinemann-Plays-14-16/dp/0435232827
www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/j-b-priestley-4839.php
www.jbpriestley.co.uk/bibliography/

Unknown. An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley. Tower Notes. Retrieved on 13 Oct 2021 from;
https://www.towernotes.co.uk/literature-notes-56_Priestley_Inspector-Calls_11.php

https://www.oxnotes.com/an-inspector-calls-social-class-theme.html

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/102914/main-characteristics-capitalist-economies.asp

https://www.learnclick.net/quiz/10030