An Inspector Calls Act 1 summary

1. Birling family and Gerald celebrating engagement of Sheila and Gerald

2. Mr Birling makes pompous speech about the future, cranks and the need to be
responsible for yourself and own family
3. Inspector arrives making enquiries about a suicide of Eva Smith
4. Mr Birling questioned first. Admits sacking her and other ringleaders for strike – for
wanting pay rise 22’6 to 25 shillings
5. Sheila & Eric (younger generation) think father acted harshly but Gerald supports him
6. Sheila questioned next. Driven by jealousy and a bad temper she had Eva sacked from
Milwards.
7. When Gerald hears Eva changed her name to Daisy Renton his reaction shows he knew
her.
8. Inspector suggests that many people share responsibility for the misery which
prompted Eva to end her life.
9. Left alone with Gerald, Sheila warns him not to try to hide anything from the Inspector.
 An Inspector Calls Act 2 summary
1. Gerald questioned: he admits he met daisy Renton in the spring of 1911 at The
Palace Bar and she was his mistress at Morgan Terrace for 6 months.
2. Sheila is hurt and angry at Gerald’s involvement with the girl, yet she feels a certain
respect for the openness of his admission.
3. Mrs Birling tries to bully the Inspector and to control events.
4. Sheila realises that the Inspector’s enquiries are well founded, and that her mother
might also have had some dismissive dealings with the girl.
5. While Eric is out of the room, Mrs Birling is questioned: she is forced to admit the
girl asked for the help of Brumley Women’s Charity Organisation that she worked
for and was refused.
6. It is revealed that the girl was pregnant, and Mrs Birling lays the blame for the girl’s
death on the father of the unborn child.
7. There is suspicion that Eric might be the father of that unborn child.
 An Inspector Calls Act 3 summary
1. Eric confesses that he got the girl pregnant and that he stole £50 from his father’s firm to support her.
2. Learning that the girl had appealed to his mother for help and been turned down, Eric blames his
mother for the girl’s death.
3. The Inspector makes a dramatic speech about the consequences of the sort of social irresponsibility
that Mr Birling was preaching at the end of the dinner.
4. The Inspector, having shown that each had a part in ruining the girl’s life, leaves.
5. Between them Gerald and Mr Birling gradually prove that the man was not a real police inspector.
6. A telephone call to the Chief Constable established that there is no Inspector Goole on the police
force.
7. A telephone call to the Infirmary reveals that there has been no recent suicide.
8. Eric and Sheila continue to feel guilty about what they have done, but the others now shrug off any
guilt.
9. Mr Birling answers the telephone: a young woman has just died on her way to the Infirmary and an
inspector is on his way to make enquiries.
 Characters and Places in An Inspector Calls
Major characters Minor characters Places
Mr Arthur Birling Sir and Lady Croft Dining room
Edna Drawing room
Mrs Sybil Birling
Cook West Brumley golf course
Sheila Birling
Finchley Birling and Company factory
Eric Birling
Miss Francis Milwards department store

Gerald Croft The Palace Bar

Police Constable Colonel Roberts
The County Hotel
The Inspector Charlie Brunswick
The Infirmary
Eva Smith/Daisy Alderman Meggarty
Renton (the exploited The town hall
working class) Girl with torn blouse
Morgan Terrace
Fire, blood and anguish
Quotations you (probably) already know: An Inspector Calls
Act 1
Please sir, an inspectors called
Eric, you’re squiffy
Gerald, is it the one you wanted
me to have?
Absolutely unsinkable
Son-in-law I always wanted
Pretty (said about Eva and
Sheila)
Act 2
A girl of that sort
I didn’t think you meant
Buckingham Palace
Wonderful fairy prince
Rough sort of diary
Have responsibilities as well as
privileges
Act 3
Fire and blood and anguish
Was pretty and a good sport
Not the sort of father a chap could
go to
Millions and millions and millions
We are responsible for each other.
 An Inspector Calls: recommended quotations to learn
These quotations are particularly useful as they show meaning as well as character or theme AND terminology

Quotation Theme/character (AO1) Terminology (AO2)

1 Pink and intimate… Stage directions to show changing light The family view life through ‘rose-tinted spectacles’
brighter and harder from celebration to interrogation at the start but the Inspector makes them face harsh
reality

2 That’s what you Sheila doubts Gerald being busy ‘all last DIRECT ADDRESS of you, infers that he is lying. This
say summer’. FORESHADOWS the revelation that he was with Eva.
3 Don’t be an ass Sheila says this to Eric COLLOQUIAL Language (slang) spoken as part of the
Brother/sister bickering SOCIOLECT of the upper middle-class younger
generation. METAPHOR: ass = silly animal
4 Mixed up together Mr Birling is happy to benefit from SIMILE: like bees
like bees in a hive whatever he can get from the community, HYPOCRITICAL attitude
but also ridicules community MONOLOGUE: Mr B goes on and on and on…

5 Chain of events The inspector creates the idea of ‘a chain of CUMULATIVE negligence and abuse by each member
events’ leading to Eva’s death of the extended family
6 Fat old tarts Eric says this about ‘the usual’ women in NEGATIVE ADJECTIVES
The Palace Bar Harsh dental alliteration (consonance) of Ts
An Inspector Calls: recommended quotations to learn
These quotations are particularly useful as they show meaning as well as character or theme AND terminology
Quotation Theme/character (AO1) Terminology (AO2)

7 aren’t cheap labour Sheila says this, agreeing with the Inspector: ITALICISED word people shows Sheila’s
– they’re people sign that she is showing a sense of morality and compassion; an actress would emphasis it.
progress in society (she’s a mini-inspector)
8 Yes, but you can’t. The Inspector is not gentle with Sheila MONOSYLLABIC words in three dramatic simple
It’s too late. She’s when she expresses regret. sentences show the Inspector’s no nonsense
dead. approach
9 Well? (end of act 1) Inspector uses a one word question to The inspector is an OMNISCIENT INQUISITOR who
Well? (start of act 2) Gerald, this adds tension at end of act 1. uses ANAPHORA to link acts 1 and 2 as he accuses
Gerald.
10 Fire and blood and Inspector tells the family that if they don’t METAPHOR for hell/war
anguish learn their lessons now they will learn DRAMATIC IRONY the audience know that WW1 and
them in hell/wars WW2 will happen.
SYNDETIC LIST with repetition of the connective AND
draws out the meaning and impact of this statement

11 Unpleasant and Gerald wants to avoid Sheila hearing Gerald is being HYPOCRITICAL when he uses these
disturbing something that might upset her NEGATIVE ADJECTIVES as Daisy Renton was not
spared an unpleasant and disturbing time.
An Inspector Calls: recommended quotations to learn
These quotations are particularly useful as they show meaning as well as character or theme AND terminology

Quotation Theme/character (AO1) Terminology (AO2)

12 aren’t cheap labour – Sheila says this, agreeing with the ITALICISED word people shows Sheila’s
they’re people Inspector: sign that she is showing a compassion; the actress would say it with
sense of morality and progress in society emphasis.
(she’s a mini-inspector)

13 Yes, but you can’t. The Inspector is not gentle with Sheila MONOSYLLABIC words in three dramatic simple
It’s too late. She’s when she expresses regret. sentences show the Inspector’s no nonsense
dead approach

14 Well? (end of act 1) Inspector uses a one word question to The inspector is an OMNISCIENT INQUISITOR who
Well? (start of act 2) Gerald, this adds tension at end of act 1. uses ANAPHORA to link acts 1 and 2 as he accuses
Gerald.

15 All helped to kill her Eric understands that the whole family is MONOSYLLABIC DECLARATIVE sentence has a lot
responsible. They have individually of impact as it JUXTAPOSES the positive ‘all
behaved badly with a cumulatively helped’ with the negative ‘to kill her’
terrible result.