An Inspector calls

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Inspector calls.

Skilled at writing from a young age Priestly knew that he did not want to follow and academic life. Instead he joined the army at the start of WW1 as part of the infantry. He then got demobbed in 1919 after serving 5 years.

Priestly was horrified with what he saw in the war and he was even more horrified, like many others in 1939 when WW2 broke out.

The play is set in 1912, the Edwardian era. As he looks back to 1912 he notices that despite 2 wars there is still a large divide between the rich and the poor. This is relevant to the play as we still have a similar divide nowadays, between the stars and the homeless.

I think that the death of Eva smith can not be blamed on one person in the play but that the reason he committed suicide is a result of the way society operates in the Britain of 1912.

The poor were discriminated against by the rich.

For example, this was the year that the Titanic sank and many poor people drowned as a result of the rich people getting priority and access to the lifeboats.

Mrs Birling was the last family member to have direct contact with Eva Smith, therefore she may be held responsible for tipping her over the edge.
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We see her showing no remorse over Eva's death. She cares more about the rich and the poor staying apart that making things better between them. She also worries about a scandal if it becomes public about her son being the father of the child.

The end of act II and the beginning of act III is significant because it is here where priestly cleverly projects his socialist views through use of character and the plot. This makes the Birling family feel under great pressure and shows their feeling of guilt for Eva Smith's death.

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