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Who

Employees sacked for protesting lower wages

Dismissal leads to a chain of events leading to her death

Becomes a prostitute and changes her name - meets Gerald and Eric - 'There was some monad who wanted her to go there'

Real identity never revealed. Could be the same person or different people. See working class girl the same as another

Characteristics

Attractive - 'young and fresh and charming'

Honourable - 'she didn't want to take any more money from him'

Working class - 'Girls of that class, a girl of that sort

Social class

Loss all support as people used their power to remove her.

Each felt superior due to the social class

Eva/Daisy symbolic

Silent off stage character - represents silent, invisible and powerless members of society - ghost

Maybe didn't feel she had the power to make difficult for the people who mistreated her. Trapped

Name Eva - like 'Eve - first woman in the bible - symbolic of all women

Smith - Very common last name for all tradesman

Represents ordinary, working class women

Eva and Daisy the same?

Phone call at the end of the play. Has Eva/Daisy just committed suicide?

Inspector a ghost?

Was it a different girl? - Inspector warned everyone's lives 'intertwined'

Central to message

'Millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left' and their chances of happiness 'intertwined with our lives'

Telling audience to behave responsibility to each other

Although focus is on a group of five people at a dining table - unidentified and unseen woman. If they all met different girls it doesn't matter. Eva/Daisy is mix of people they've ever treated badly.

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Eligible batchelor

Respectable - 'the easy well-bred young man about town'

Good catch - Upper class - 'landed people and so forth'

Socially superior

Gets on well Mr B

Impresses Mrs B

Handsome

Business minded and committed to his work as Mr B is.

Lying

Fling with E/D

'I wasn't telling you a complete lie

Truth

Determined to take action along with Mr B - Inspector was not a police officer

No suicide

Reputation

Sides Mr B - focusing on protecting reputation

Like a younger version of Mr B. If it wasn't for Gerald, we could say Mr and Mrs B are selfish and unchanging due to their age. But Gerald shows younger people can be selfish and old fashioned

Used to being in control

Agrees Mr B politics and women

Lack of remorse

Gerald sounds less passionate than Sheila and can distance himself from the tradegy

Uses the word 'hoax'

End of the play 'everything's all right now'

Says E/D 'didn't blame me at all'

Although he showed her affection meaning the Inspector wasn't as hard on him, he left her, went on a business trip and made her homeless.

Hypocrisy

Inspector asks Gerald whether he thinks 'young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things?' - says yes thinking of Sheila

But Gerald is doing the unpleasant and disturbing things to women like E/D, uses them and discards them

Able to separate public respectable image from secret, private acts - Eric is able to do

Upset when E/D dead but already has moved on 'Everything's alright now Sheila'

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Troublesome son

Isolated and unloved - 'you don't understand anything, You Neve did'

Alcoholic -

'I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty'

Pours himself a whisky

Thief

Stole money from his family to support her.

Lost - Says no one understands him - doesn't feel he can talk to anyone

Irresponsible

Forced himself onto ED while he was drunk and doesn't remember 'I didn't even remember - that the hellish thing'

Regrets actions

'My God - I'm not likely to forget'

Not the only one

Met ED in stalls bar - exactly where Gerald met her

Birlings respectable friends go to the stalls bar to find women _ Meggarty

Mirky world for 'respectable men'

Normal for middle class behaviour

Only one to have serious consequences

Lots of men doing what he did in secret

Eric's lack of self control means his secret gets out

Parents don't want a scandal

Don't care about him as much as they care about what other people will think

Disrupts the polite middle class illusion of respectability.

Gerald keeps ED as his mistress and breaks it off without his reputation being damaged.

Eric villain and victim

Isolated and unsupported - finds comfort elsewhere

At the start - 'the fact remains that I did what I did'

Shouts at his mother - angriest moment in the play

Accepts responsibility for what he has done

Criticises his parents for pretending nothings happened 'you lot may be letting yourselves out nicely'

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Different from the rest of the family

Quick witted (He's giving us the rope so that we'll hang ourselves'

He wit lets her undermine the authority of the other characters

and strong minded

I don't believe I will. So you be careful

Hands the ring back when he is unfaithful

Wise enough to realise Eric is the father of Daisy's child

Selfish the year before

Abused her status as a wealthy customer at Millard's - dismiss E

Childish at first

'Very pleased with life and rather excited'

Slang - 'squiffy' - reminds audience belongs to younger generation

Ring - looks to her mother for approval 'Look - Mummy - Isn't it a beauty'

Maturity

Wise instincts - Sees what the inspector is doing and knew Gerald's absence is suspicious

Knows men use prostitutes

Knows dirty old men like 'Alderman Meggarty

Inspector refers to her as she 'isn't living on the moon'

She says to her father 'Im not a chid'

Moral standards

Sensitive and moral

But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people'

Acknowledges she used her power to punish Eva Smith

Eager to learn from the consequences - to Gerald 'You and I aren't the same people who sat down to dinner here'

Uses her as a moral judge at the end 'probably between us we killed her'

Others don't admit that

Tells Gerald she respects him more for being honest

Family must stop these 'silly pretences'

Hope for change in new generation.

Parents after the Inspector has left want to carry on as before. Sheila and Eric are the only ones who want change - Sheila changes the most

Like Inspector herself

Helps with the investigations

Asks Gerald many questions

Reveals Eric's drinking problem

contradicts and undermines her parents

When she gives the the ring back she tells her father 'don't interefere'

Sees Inspector asks questions to break down the 'wall and Sheila wants to do the same.

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Socially superior to Mr Birling

Shouldn't compliment cook - Tells her husband off for saying the food was good in front of a guest - isn't polite to mention the cook or lower servants. Upper class families would not say 'Tell the cook from me'

Better manners - always reminds her family. Tells Sheila off for using slang

Power - Won't let anyone boss her around. Tells Inspector - 'You have no power to make me change my mind'

Proud of her social status

Traditional values - When you're married you'll realize'

Follows rules of etiquette - set of rules about social behaviour - what is acceptable and what isn't

Rules are more important that moral rules

Standards make her walk into the Inspector's trap

Prejudice

Strong set of beliefs about social status

Prepared to be cruel - rejecting Daisy's appeal. 'As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money''

Charity

Mrs B supports charity - Brumley Women's Charity Organisation

Only supports 'deserving cases'

Gives Mrs B authority to decide who is deserving or not.

She uses her 'influence' to convince other members to reject the appeal as the girl used the Birling name.

Deserving to distinguish poor who physically can 't help themselves and those who shouldn't be helped.

Self Centred and doesn't change

Son - Hasn't noticed her son's alcoholism

Daughter - Dismisses her daughter's worries that Gerald lost interest in her last summer

Responsibility - Won't accept her actions 'I accept no blame for it all'

Regrets - only in relation to not having 'asked him a few questions' as she wants control

Stage directions

Answers 'haughtily, very sharply, bitterly

Act 3 - she says she knew it was a hoax all along. Script says she 'triumphantly' tells everyone - important that she comes out on top than her actions could have caused a girl's suicide.

Final moment - Mrs B smiling and telling everyone she is amused - already put it behind her.

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Character

Confident

Head of family

Boss of his own business

Control

Likes to be in control

Not used to be challenged. Inspect rarely says 20 words before Birling shows a touch of impatience.

Angrily tells Inspector 'If you don't mind I'll find out first'

Ambitious and obsessed with status

'There's a good chance of knighthood'

Merger with Croft by daughter's marriage is a business deal to 'lower costs and higher prices'

He is a wealthy self made businessman but it was more prestigious to come from an 'old country family' life the Crofts that had land, inherited wealth and titles.

Tried to win Crofts approval by talking about Knighthood and getting Gerald's father favourite port

Tries to make himself seem important by saying he plays golf with the Chief Inspector

Business minded - 'a hard-headed practical man of business' Has the same attitude to all life

Selfish and lack of empathy

' a man has to make his own way

Difficult to think about other people. Doesn't believe in 'community and all that nonsense'

He sees other people as 'cheap labour'

Doesn't just refuse higher wages, but makes it worse for them by firing people who challenge his authority

Anxious

'there'll be a public scandal unless we're lucky'

Inspector threatens Birlings middle class values

When his good name is threatened he is terrified and would give 'thousands' a bribe to avoid scandal

Dramatic irony

Optimistic about the future dismisses 'silly little war scares'

Optimism seems foolish and short-sighted

Inspector undermines his authority

Lack of responsibility

Rather pass of the Inspector as a 'hoax' than face up to what he has done.

His family is falling apart and he blames the Inspector for making a 'nasty mess' of the night's celebrations.

Stage directions and language to create character

Provincial speech - meaning regional accent

Accent and social class are closely linked - Middle class businessman rather than upper class

Birling continuous speech in the play - doesn't like to be interrupted - Eric tries to correct him 'Just let me finish Eric'

Ignores other people's opinions ' repeatedly shouts 'rubbish'. Finishes his own sentences with 'of course' to make his claims seem more obvious

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Priestley uses the Inspector as a mouthpiece

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Priestley uses the Inspector as a mouthpiece

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Outside the class system of the Birlings social world

Doesn't take a neutral position - on Eva/Daisy's side

Priestley's own views are reflected in the opinions of the Inspector - he is a 'mouthpiece' for Priestley's voice

Final speech could be to the play's audience

Strong message of looking after one another

'He never seemed like an ordinary inspector'

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Authority strengthens his strong moral tone

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Authority strengthens his strong moral tone

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Characteristics

Unsettling presence could be due to his confidence and is able to create an air of uncertainty and reel everyone in.

Ensures he is in charge (above)

Goole is never confused unlike the other characters

Everything he says is taken more seriously

Writer's technique - Inspector's voice getting louder

More than a police inspector

Represents police and the courts tracking down the truth

When know he isn't and police offence, Mr and Mrs B do not accept his authority

Eric and Sheila realise moral judgment is not just about legal power

Supernatural

Attitude of Philosopher

Social commentator

Knowledge of a ghost delivering a prophecy

Nothing in common with Mr B

Doesn't play golf

Not impressed by Birling's public profile - former Alderman and Lord Mayor

Talks about taboo subjects - sex and politics

Interrupts, repeats and pauses in a way that was not the norm in middle class pre war England

Doesn't follow etiquette

Classless

Treats everyone the same

'We are members of one body'

Classes shouldn't ignore each other's needs.

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Inspector knows how to make an entrance and exit

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Inspector knows how to make an entrance and exit

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Timing is crucial

Priestley has the Inspector ring the bell just after B says 'A man has to mind his own business'

Summons the Inspector to prove the exact opposite

Exits are a clever tactic

Leaving Sheila and Gerald alone let Sheila interrogate Gerald - suspicion breaks them apart.

Dramatic language

Builds on the tension and emotion

If don't learn their less they will be taught in 'fire and blood and anguish'

Silence after exit as no one else is speaking. Characters are left staring, subdued and wondering.

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Answers his own questions if not happy with someone else's

Sybil refused to admit she was a committee meeting 'You know very well there was, Mrs Birling'

Follows questions with more questions until he has pieced together a confession

When Sybil refuses to say whether she persuaded the committee to reject the appeal he asks 'Was it or was it not your influence?'

Blunt -

'You're not even sorry now, when you know what happened'

'Were you in love with her?'

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Aim is to stir feelings

Calls Eva/Daisy 'Pretty' and 'lively' girl

Attractive words make the audience more sympathetic to her

Juxtapose harsh tone to describe her death 'burnt-out inside on a slab'

Causes Sheila distress and she 'can't help thinking about this girl - destroying herself'

Effect is therefore achieved

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Analysis of 'Calls' - Inspector driving force for the play

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Analysis of 'Calls' - Inspector driving force for the play

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Word 'Calls' seems so casual as though he is dropping in

Deceptive - appears casual and spontaneous but in fact single minded and calculating.

He 'calls' the shots

Title of the play is echoed in the words of Edna, who represents the working class under privileged members of society like Eva/Daisy - when she announces the arrival of Inspector Goole.

Another inspector 'calls' the house on the telephone at the end of the play

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Arrives unexpectedly

Outsider with nothing in common with the Birlings. Mrs B says 'The rude way he spoke to Mr Birling and me - it was quite extraordinary'

Massively interrupts cutting into dialogue with authority

He is authoritative

- 'All in good time'

Eric - Act 2 in response to 'Now look Inspector' from Birling he replied 'He must wait his turn'

Gerald in response to Gerald saying 'I am glad I amuse you' he responds 'Come on Mr Croft what happened' which leads to Gerald explaining the story

Act 2 - Inspector asks if Gerald was in love with her, Birling interjects and states 'I must protest' Inspector replied 'Why should you do any protesting? It was you who turned the girl out in the first place'

When he challenges Mrs B that she is not telling the truth, Mr B demands an apology from the Inspector he replies 'Apologise for what - doing my duty?

Mrs Birling is asked to explain about the plea by the girl to the committee, Mrs B tries to avoid it disclosing the truth by saying 'I don't think we need discuss it' He is authoratative and says 'You have no hope of not discussing it'

After Mrs B suggests the Inspector should find the young man, and tries to shift the blame by saying 'Certainly. I consider it your duty. And now no doubt you'd like to say good night? He responds 'Not yet. I'm waiting'

Mrs B, Sheila and Eric in Act 3 are discussing the girl and his drinking and Mr B suggests that his son should have had a sense of loyalty the Inspector responds with ' There'll be plenty of time when I've gone, for you all to adjust your family relationships'

Later in Act 3 when they are all squabbling - 'And be quiet for minute and listen to me...' then summarises the position

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Gerald is given the role of detective at the end of murder mystery

Pieces together the events and summarises for others

Instead of solving the crime, he makes it seem no crime has been committed at all.

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Spooky accuracy of Inspector's arrival

At the beginning just after Birling said 'a man has to mind his own business' the Inspector arrives giving a message about social responsibility

At the end the phone rings just after Birling has laughed at 'the famous younger generation who know it all'

Irony - Birling still thinks he knows it all and he has not learnt his lesson.

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Gerald tells Sheila - 'everything's all right now'

She says its 'too soon' to be thinking about that and forgetting everything that happened that evening

Gerald and Mr and Mrs Birling are relaxed and joking

Atmosphere returns to the start of play like a happy ending

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No Inspector Goole

Gerald returns - says there no Inspector Goole on the for force. Confirmed by Birling who calls the police station.

Consider it a hoax

He is the victim

Sybil rewrite's her role in the evening

She is proud she 'didn't give in to him'

Photographs

Gerald points out photograph may have been different photos of different girls

Confirmation no suicide

Gerald calls the hospital - confirms no suicide

Birling is relieved and guilt free

Eric and Sheila's remorse

Recall the words of Inspector

Cannot forget - 'Everything we said had happened really had happened'

Following the suggestion from Sybil that they would have a good laugh about it in the morning Sheila says 'So nothing really happened. So there's nothing to be sorry for, nothing to learn. We can all go on behaving just as we did'

'You began to learn something. And now you've stopped. You're ready to go on in the same old way'

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Realisation might not have been a real inspector

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Realisation might not have been a real inspector

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Shelia and Sybil realise he may be a fake

Different ideas about how important this is

Sybil and Arthur consider it 'makes all the difference' if it wasn't a real police visit - again focusing on their own selfish desires to avoid scandal

Birling alleges Inspector was 'prejudiced' (which he clearly had been to Eva) and probably a 'socialist' - trying to reinforce his power and the class system where they are unchallenged despite bad behaviour.

Sheila and Eric disagree 'He was our police inspector all right' it doesn't matter if he was real or not - he's shown them what is true.

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Birling says he's learnt plenty but not how and why he's been wrong

He's learnt how Shelia and Eric really behave and think

He isn't impressed.

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Passed between family members

1) Sybil tells Eric she is 'absolutely ashamed' of his drinking

2) Eric says he's ashamed of his parents' actions

3) Sheila says she is ashamed of her own actions. She shoulders the blame and asks everyone else to do the same

Parents haven't learnt anything. The are more focused on keeping all the revelations in the family and avoiding scandal which is the only thing they are ashamed of.

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Birlings chat after the Inspector has left

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Birlings chat after the Inspector has left

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Before his speech, the Inspector tells them 'You'll be able to divide the responsibility between you when I've gone'

Birling blames Eric for their problems - decline from Inspector's moral speech to petty squabbling

He doesn't want anything to change and is desperate to get back to how they were with him in charge. His ambition was to be a Lord and the only thing is concerned about is that the scandal will prevent him from achieving his own selfish goal.

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1 Arthur - started by sacking Eva Smith

2. Sheila - turned her out of her second job

3. Gerald - kept her as his mistress and made her happy for a while

4. Eric 'used her' because he was drunk

5. Sybil - refused her a 'pitiable little bit of organised charity'

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Eva/Daisy - linked to 'millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us'

Rest of society or even rest of humanity

He says we do not live alone, everyone is 'intertwined' and 'members of one body'

Everyone shares 'their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness' because everyone is affected

'We are responsible for each other'

He warns that 'if men will don't learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish'

Foresees all suffering will result from selfishness including world wars.

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Sybil kept a polite household and perfect reputation for the family

Cost of close and understanding relationship with her children

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Has to know what's happening

Disobeys her husband as realise her involvement

Eric learns of his mother's involvement

realises she was involved in Eva/Daisy and his child's death

Furious - links her failure to 'understand' to his own childhood

You don't understand anything, you never did. You never even tried

Father is appalled not by the suicide but the theft and shame

Asks why he didn't come to him rather than stealing

Accuses him of being spoilt

Analysis

Every member of the family has let down their defences.

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Birling is appalled not by suicide but theft and shame

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Birling is appalled not by suicide but theft and shame

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Take situation seriously for the first time

Son stolen money from the company

Middle of the story, orders the women to leave

Involvement has gone too far

Illegitimate child

Prostitute

Shame on the family.

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Inspector just had to open the cracks in the Birling Family and it's broken apart and self destructing.

'You know don't you

Forced Eva/Daisy to have sex with him and got her pregnant

Drunk and threatened to cause a 'row' if he didn't let her into his flat

Regrets his actions but shows immaturity

she was a 'good sport'

'pretty'

Insensitive given how badly he treated her

She treated him as a 'kid'

Analysis

Eric doesn't understand how middle class people are supposed to behave. He has acted worse than Gerald who knew how to have an affair without creating a scandal.

Audience blames his parents for his upbringing

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'Looking extremely pale and distressed'

As if summoned to the dock and his mother has already declared him guilty

Absent for much of the play - left the dining room in Act 1

Eric is always running away from his family and their expectations of him

Cliffhanger - audience left wondering whether Eric was the 'drunken young idler' that got Eva/Daisy pregnant

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She recognised she changed when she handed the ring back to Gerald

Says they weren't 'the same people who sat down to dinner'

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Sheila

Open to the idea her family are guilty

She is intelligent and guesses Eric may be the 'young man'

Audience thinks she has matured since the incident at Milwards

She is now very different from well behaved blushing bride in Act 1

Stubbornness

Can be determined and stubborn like her parents

Parents use stubbornness to resist Inspector

Sheila uses it to seek out the truth

Truth

Demands Gerald and Sybil answer Inspector's questions

Tells Birling not to interfere defending a young man sleeping around.

No, he's giving us rope - so that we'll hang ourselves' - realises Birlings are all going to walk straight into the trap.

Dismisses her as over-excited but soon regrets not listening to what she is saying.

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Blames the father of the child

Tries to resist inspectors questions

Avoids admitting her own guilt

Tells everyone

'Young man' should be punished

Tells the inspector should be punished 'very severely'

Should 'confess in public his responsibility'

Blames the father for getting involved with a girl from a different class

Sybil thinks she wouldn't know a man who drinks and steals

Effect

Inspector doesn't intervene and lets her walk straight into a trap - demanding punishing her own son

Totally unaware of what Eric is going to say

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Mrs Birling dismissed Eva/Daisy's story as 'ridiculous'

Couldn't believe a girl of 'that sort' (working class) would ever refuse money

Based her refusal on class prejudice

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Sybil had the last chance to help but she refused

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Sybil had the last chance to help but she refused

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1) Preserve reputation - Persuaded committee to turn down Eva/Daisy's request for help

Called herself Birling

'Piece of gross impertinence' (rude) to dare to associate her own scandal with Birling family name

Changed her story

First her husband had left her

Now she was pregnant

Later admitted she wasn't married.

2) Moral standards

Eva/Daisy wouldn't marry the father of her child

Wouldn't take any more money from him because

He was a 'youngster - silly and wild and drinking too much'

Money he'd been gibing to her was stolen

He didn't love her.

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Inspector increases the tension between the parents and the children by using Sheila's help to get Sybil to tell the whole story

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Photograph - pretends doesn't recognise

Responsibility - won't accept for her actions

No empathy

She can't imagine herself in a similar situation.

She is so obsessed with social class and reputation

Can't recognise connections between her life and anyone else's

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Sheila is repeatedly told to leave the room by both her parents

She stays because she feels it is her duty to stay to find out who is responsible.

The Birlings don't think a young woman should hear about a grim story

Sheila is a young woman who thinks for herself

Breaks away from her parents' traditional views.

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Gerald's revelation doesn't shock Birling - it is ok to have a mistress

Sybil thinks it is disgusting

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If the Palace stalls are well known for being place to pick up prostitutes, likely Gerald went there to find a prostitute himself.

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Sheila is dazzled by the ring at first

Mature enough to realise the consequences of marrying a man who has lied to her.

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Gerald is shamed - Engagement is broken off

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Gerald is shamed - Engagement is broken off

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Gerald asks to leave and go for a walk, and he promises he will come back

As as Inspector and not Mr Birling, shows the Inspector is in control now

Ring - The Inspector allows this, but, as he leaves, Sheila gives him back the engagement ring she had been given in Act One.

Relationship - Sheila tells Gerald she does not dislike him, and she is relieved in a strange way to know the truth about what happened last summer. However, she tells him, “this has made a difference ... We’d have to start all over again.”

Blames herself - 'Now at least you have been honest...It was my fault really that she was so desperate when you first met her'

Defence - Birling defends Gerald saying 'I'm not defending him. But you must understand that lot of young men...'

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Inspector's continuation of the story - Daisy fell in love with Gerald out of Gratitude 

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Inspector's continuation of the story - Daisy fell in love with Gerald out of Gratitude 

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Seaside Eva then went away to “some seaside place” for about two months, to reflect on what had happened between her and Gerald.

Difference in feelings - She chose to “remember ‘just to make it last longer.’” For Gerald it was a summer fling. For Eva/Daisy there'd never be anything as good again.

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Sheila interjects to determine the nature of the relationship - Daisy fell in love with Gerald out of gratitude

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Sheila interjects to determine the nature of the relationship - Daisy fell in love with Gerald out of gratitude

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Sheila asks Gerald directly whether he was in love with “Daisy.”

He replies that “it’s hard to say, I didn't feel about her as she felt about me ”

Sheila replies that Daisy loved Gerald as her 'wonderful Fairy Prince'

In response to Mrs B's comment about the disgusting affair, he says 'You know, it wasn't disgusting'

He agrees he 'adored' being loved by her

It was Gerald himself who broke the affair off, early in September as he had a business trip.

The girl took it very well, he thought, and she did not blame him at all.

He gave her enough money to see her through until the end of the year, as a parting gift.

Effectively he had made her homeless.

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To the horror of Mr. and Mrs. Birling, Gerald confesses

Where - Met her in the music hall in Brumley.

Why - He had dropped in after a long day, since the bar at the music hall was “a favorite haunt of women of the town.”

What she looked like - He describes Eva as being “very pretty—soft brown hair and big dark eyes.”

How they met - She was trapped in a corner by Alderman Joe Meggarty, “half-drunk and goggle-eyed,” and Gerald rescued her from that conversation.

At the mention of Meggarty’s name, the truth starts spilling out. Mrs. Birling is shocked to hear that Meggarty is “a notorious womanizer as well as ... one of the worst sots and rogues in Brumley.”

Change in name - Gerald says he took Eva out of the bar, and she told him her story—though under the name Daisy Renton.

She never mentioned the name “Eva Smith.”

Dinner - He bought her some dinner, since she was hungry and had no money to buy herself food.

Keys to rooms - He also gave her the keys to some rooms he was keeping an eye on for a friend, and he gave her some money. “I want you to understand I didn’t install her there so that I could make love to her,” Gerald explains, though “Daisy Renton” indeed did become his mistress.

'I made her go to Morgan Terrace because I was sorry for her and didn't like the idea of her going back to the Palace bar. I didn't ask for anything in return'

Mr. and Mrs. Birling interject, trying again to stop the Inspector’s questioning.

Theme - Men and Women

If the Palace stalls are well known for being place to pick up prostitutes, likely Gerald went there to find a prostitute himself.

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Bed - Mrs. Birling enters and attempts to send Sheila to bed.

Class - She is urgently interrupted by Sheila just as she generalizing about “Girls of that class.”

Wall - Sheila tells her mother that she must not try to build up “a kind of wall” between the Birlings and the girl, for the Inspector will only break it down.

Husband's status - Reinforces social status trying to establish control over the situation by being cold toward the Inspector, 'You know of course that my husband was Lord Mayor only two years ago and that he's still a magistrate.'

Eric's alcholism - 'He is talking to my son Eric, who seems to be in excitable, silly mood'

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Gerald ignores the Inspector's question 'Well?'

Excuses Sheila for being 'hysterical'

Trying to get Sheila to leave so no more details about the affair

Hypocrisy

Inspector points out Gerald's hypocrisy 'and you think young women ought to be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things'

It was men like him that took advantage of Daisy Renton 'one young woman who wasn't' protected.

He is trying to get Sheila to leave so he doesn't have to tell her more details about his affair

Gerald's attack towards Sheila - animosity between them.

Sheila on hearing that there is to be more questioning—decides to stay.

Gerald, in encouraging her to leave, makes the suggestion, “You’ve been through it—and now you want to see somebody else put through it.”

Sheila is angry that Gerald seems not to believe in her motive for staying; this is, she says “just the wrong time not to believe me.” A gap has opened between them.

Inspector speaks for Sheila

The Inspector, not Gerald, is the one to put Sheila’s feeling into words;

she needs to hear the whole story in order to come to terms with her part of the responsibility.

“If there’s nothing else,” the Inspector concludes, “we’ll have to share our guilt.”

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Admission

His affair with Daisy was 'over and done with last summer'.

Suggests they should keep it a secret so that it doesn't become a scandal

Inspector's knowledge

Sheila sure Inspector knows everything already

She is worried 'how much he knows that we don't know yet'

Gerald and Sheila become anxious and suspicious which heightens the tension.

Inspector returns

Says only one word - 'Well'

Analysis

Men and Women

Ok for men to have affairs and mistresses

Not acceptable for Sheila to have a lover Sheila's Anger

Sheila's anger - pleased that Gerald will be judged by the inspector regardless of the consequences of their up and coming wedding and his reputation.

Sheila has chosen to side with the Inspector.

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Facts

Shown a photograph, possibly not the same one that Birling saw

Recognises the woman who was sacked from Milwards (the clothes shop where Sheila found her next job after being sacked from Birlings

Power and Influence

As a regular customer from a good family, power to demand Eva Smith be sacked

Abused her influence through jealousy as to how the girl looked in the dress she held up to herself. It didn't suit Sheila.

Sheila says she 'felt rotten about it at the time' - she knew she behaved badly and has grown up since then.

Priestly portrays Sheila as a forgivable character.

Change Eva Smith to Daisy Renton

Needed a dramatic change to escape her past

Fresh sounding name

'Under the Daisies' euphemism for being dead

Renting suggests prostitution

Gerald is startled he remembers the name.

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Inspector calls and says a girl has died

Blunt account of Eva Smith's death

Harsh language 'Burnt her inside and out' contrasts violently with police and playful atmosphere at the start

Catches them off guard which helps the investigation

Theme - Family Life

Birlings family life held together with secrets and polite behaviour

Inspector disrupts everything

Lets out the secrets.

Birling sacked Eva Smith to protect his business

Inspector lets Birling tell the story of why he sacked Eva

Birling given a false sense of being in charge

Strike

Workers at the factory went on strike after Birling refused a pay rise

He wanted to protect profits and prevent another strike

Sacked the 'ring leaders' including Eva

Eric points out the hypocrisy of sacking Eva Smith for asking for higher wages because the Birling company 'try for the highest possible prices'

Eva's appearance

Remembers her as a 'lively good-looking girl'

Attractive hero

Makes Birling look worse

Theme - Social responsibility

Political element to the play

Priestley positions rights of workers against the interests of the businessman

Birling sees employees as 'cheap labour' - if he can get them to work for less he will do.

Opposite of social responsibility -but maximum profit for the individual.

Morality

Priestley’s key theme: the lower-class individuals are the responsibility of the middle and upper classes.

This idea draws on traditional class morality - that society at large should care for people who are poor and need support.

Evidence

As Birling did not worry about firing the girls who led the strike for more wages,

as Sheila did not think twice about causing the shop assistant to get in trouble,

so too do the Birlings routinely ignore Edna during the play.

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1) Crofts superior to Birlings

Crofts more established and socially superior

Makes Mr Birling anxious

2) Gerald ignored Sheila last summer

Says he was busy with work last summer

Sheila isn't satisfied - 'yes that's what you say'

Plants the idea that there must be a better reason for the absence.

3) Expectations men and women

Men supposed to be busy with work and public affairs

Women are supposed to be interested in

Family

Clothes

Social étiquette (proper behaviour)

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Arthur

Successful businessman who is well respected in Brumley

Owns a factory

Head Birling family

Thinks he's successful as he is 'hard-headed, practical man of business'

Birling’s politics of self-reliance and personal responsibility are staunchly and unashamedly capitalist, perhaps even right-wing.

boasting about his status as a former Lord Mayor and a magistrate.

He believes in “low wages, high prices,” is absolutely dismissive of Eva’s strike, and, even at the close of the Inspector’s inquiry, can only limply claim that he would “give thousands” to make things better. Money, indeed, dominates the way he thinks, even to the extent that,

Sybil

Arthur's wife

Obsessed with etiquette

Works hard to keep up their reputation

Status in society

Sheila

Daughter

Early twenties

Engaged to Gerald, the son of their competitor

Eric

Son

Works in the family business

Secret alcoholic

Inherit father's business

Gerald Croft

Upper class businessman

Son of their competitor

30

Engaged to Sheila

Crofts more established and socially superior

Edna

Birlings parlour maid

Welcomes inspector to the house

Only working class woman on stage

Working for what is likely a minimum wage, clearing the table and putting out port and cigars.

It is no accident, surely, that “Eva” the girl and “Edna” the maid have such similar names.

The presence of Edna onstage throughout the play symbolizes the presence of Eva and reinforces Priestley’s ultimate point about the abuse of power and the failure to take sufficient responsibility for one’s actions toward others.

Inspector

Claims to be a police inspector

Investigating death of Eva Smith

From what we know about the Inspector’s later (seemingly supernatural) abilities, his statement “I’ve only recently transferred” carries tantalizingly ambiguous double meanings. How and from where (what town? what planet? what time?) has he “transferred?”

Eva Smith/Daisy Renton

Victim

Never see her

Might not be dead

May be lots of different girls

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Facts

Celebrating Sheila's engagement to Gerald

Arthur's confident speech to Eric and Gerald about business and the future

Merge 2 companies

Could improve business = 2 companies Crofts and Birlings should merge. and start 'working together' in the future.

Marriage is a business deal - will 'lower costs and higher prices'

Gerald says his mother disapproves of the engagement as he will be marrying beneath him.

Priestley subtly illustrates, he sees his daughter’s engagement to Gerald Croft as a financial move and potentially the first step towards a merger between the Birling and Croft businesses. Birling represents the political point of view opposite to Priestley’s own.Future predictions

Conflicts workers and bosses - says will come to nothing but we know there were strikes between 1912 and 1945. General strike 1926 - Country ground to a halt in 9 days

Technological progress - recently completed Titanic 'unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable'

War in Germany - Eric asks whether there will be war in Germany. Arthur say no way. 'Silly little war scares' 2 years later, along comes World War One.

Dramatic Irony

Makes audience think might be wrong about other things as well

Belief in the motto 'Every man for himself'

Birlings optimism seems foolish and short-sighted.

Analysis

Over the top dinner at home in a room that is highly decorated, highlighting an upper middle class family.

Everybody is content and saying the right things

Priestly's idea of a 'perfect middle class family'

Approach by Mr Birling is overconfident and every man for himself. 'a man has to make his own way- has to look after himself - and his family too'

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