Differences In J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

The play, ‘An Inspector Calls’ was written in 1945, but is set in victorian era England, in1912. These dates are important because they frame Priestley’s story within a broader social context, setting it just before world war I and the sinking of Titanic and having performed it for the first time just after world war II. When the play was set, Edwardian era Britain was a very class based society, with strong and distinct hierarchical levels permeating the economic, social and cultural facets of society. Priestley’s play highlights the differences between generations in accepting this characteristic of society, with young and old people having opposing views.
Priestley presents this difference in attitudes in various ways in the play. An example is the fact that the older …show more content…
This suggests to the reader that she is looking down on the girl because she is of a lower class. The exclamation mark also allows Priestley to express her bemused tone, that anyone would even think that a lower class girl would refuse money of any amount. Sheila sees what her mother is doing and practically begs her to stop, exclaiming that “you mustn’t try and build a land of wall between us and that girl” so the humiliation and shame she feels when her wall is finally broken down by the ,Inspector is not so terrible. Mr Birling also doesn't see it as the younger generation do, he only sees a lower class woman that causes trouble everywhere she goes declaring, “ she got herself into trouble there I suppose” when he hears that she managed to get a new job after he had fired her. The phrase “I suppose” suggests to the reader Mr Birling just assumes the worst , just as his own daughter, Sheila begins to understand and appreciate socialist

Show More

Differences In J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

Related Documents: Differences In J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls

An Inspector Calls Unit Essay