Here Mr Birling shows us his fascist views about society. Mr Birling’s view was beginning to die out as changes in society arose, with strikes and high labour prices. Society began to think more as a whole rather than everyone for themselves.
“We don’t live alone. We are members of one body.” Some members of society took this view to the extreme, it was called Communism, and was popular with the workers of Britain. J B Priestley uses the Inspector to put forward this view in a subtle way, as these changes were happening slowly.
The views of young women by themselves and by their parents were also changing.
“Your daughter isn’t living on the moon, she’s here in Brumley too.” This view was growing in the lower classes as the women of Britain went out to work and started wanting equal rights and the vote.
The play is like a timeline, near the beginning Sheila was still acting like a child but near the end she actually started thinking like a woman.
Throughout though the noble people of Britain still looked at their children of 20+ as adolescents, denying them the right to make a point to a family discussion, merely discarding it with a comment such as, “Just let me finish, Eric. You’ve a lot to learn yet.”
In families like these rifts grow between children and parents. Disagreements and angry remarks spring up.
“Don’t talk to me like that. Your trouble is you’ve been spoilt.” Here Mr Birling shouts at his son and puts Eric down.
Another example of conflicts between father and son is when Mr Birling intervenes in an argument between Eric and Mrs Birling. “Why, you hysterical young fool – get back – or I’ll ….”
Mr Birling treats his son as sub-human on this occasion insulting him as well as calling him a child even though he is over 20.
People of Mr and Mrs Birlings class have typical views, as most people in the establishment felt the same way. Mrs Birling is totally naïve to what people of the lower classes are like. She believes they have no righteous feelings and are slaves for the real people like her and her husband.
“She was claiming elaborate fine feelings”.
Mrs Birling doesn’t believe that people of the lower classes actually experience fine feelings such as love and pride.
“As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!”
Mrs Birling doesn’t think that the lower class people have any dignity and think they would never refuse money even when stolen.
All of the Birling family represents a view from the different classes and people in society in 1912. The play is a metaphor for the changes that were going to happen when the play was set. J.B Priestley was basically publishing a warning, of what important changes needed to be made to keep society from war again. The play was basically a list of things that helped World War come abaout.
