'An Inspector Calls' Essay (Play)

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'An Inspector Calls' Essay (Play)'An Inspector Calls' is a play written by JB Priestley in 1945 and setin 1912. Priestley demonstrates his concern with moral responsibilityand his beliefs in Socialist values through the character of theInspector, whom he uses as a mouthpiece throughout the play. He voiceshis opinions on these issues using this technique, and they are shownby the way the Inspector deals with the Birling family and areexemplified by the obstacles to social harmony in which the Inspectorhas to face before coming to a suitable and justifiable conclusion.The play was written in 1945 - within a week of World War Two ending -but set in 1912, when Britain still had its Empire and was doing verywell financially. The time span between the two dates is Priestley'sway of expressing a feeling of urgency he thought necessary to pass on to society after the events of 1945.Although the war had ended, society in Britain in 1945 was stillexperiencing the hardships that it had brought. New books were printed under the wartime economy regulations, continuing the shortage ofpaper and therefore resulting in the books being expensive - tooexpensive for any working class person to purchase.However, in 1912 some things were different. Society did not have the burden of the war hanging over their heads, but life for the poor didnot differ much from 1945. Edwardian society was strictly divided into social classes; below the very rich were the middle classes, such as doctors, merchants, shop workers and clerks. After that came the craftsman and skilled workers, and at the very bottom of the social ladder was the largest class of all - the ordinary workers and the poor, many of whom lived below the poverty level. The men of industry treated their workers harshly and their pay was extremely low. As a result of this, strikes became frequent as the workers demanded better working conditions and higher pay.Priestley hoped that in writing 'An Inspector Calls', people couldlook back on events with hindsight and learn from the mistakes thatsociety had made. He primarily wrote the play for a middle classaudience about the working class, and how the Birlings and GeraldCroft were all involved in making a young working class woman's life a misery, and consequently driving her to suicide.The Birlings are a typical upper class family - they look down onthose who are socially 'beneath' them, such as the Inspector, yet look up to those 'above'. Mr. Birling puts this specific idea into practice frequently. Although arrogant, he knows that he is lower down the social scale than his wife, as well as Gerald's family. However, he is aware of the difference in social class, and accepts them - "Don't blame her.
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[Lady Croft] comes from an old country family – landed people and so forth - so it's only natural."At the beginning of the play, the Birlings are celebrating theirdaughter's engagement to Gerald Croft - the son of Arthur's business competitor. Immediately the impression is given that love isn't just the only force bringing Sheila and Gerald together; in fact, it seems that Mr. Birling is more interested in a new business proposal than his daughter's happiness: "You're just the kind of son-in-law I always wanted. Your father and I have been friendly rivals in business forsome time now ... you've ...

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