An Inspector Calls: Themes & Questions

Description

1. Introduction: The background to the play

In the 1930's, Priestley became very concerned about the consequences of social inequality. During 1942, he and others set up a new political party, the Common Wealth Party, which argued for public ownership of land, greater democracy, and a new 'morality' in politics. The party merged with the Labour Party in 1945, but Priestley was influential in developing the idea of the Welfare State which began to be put into place at the end of the war.

He believed that further world wars could only be avoided through cooperation and mutual respect between countries, and so became active in the early movement for a United Nations. And as the nuclear arms race between West and East began in the 1950s, he helped to found the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, CND, hoping that the UK would set an example to the world by a moral act of nuclear disarmament and prevent bloodshed through another world war.

​Priestley fought in World War 1 and the experience is used in his writing. He is famous for novels, plays and essays particularly for the political message. In An Inspector Calls, Priestley uses Inspector Goole to present his own views. Priestley is against selfish desires (presented particularly through Mr Birling and Mrs Birling, they use the pronoun 'I' compared to Inspector Goole using 'We') and social/economic inequality, and he pushes forward a message of social responsibility.

2. A range of Practice Questions

3. Character Analyses with Questions

     Overview

     Mr Birling- Attitudes towards Women

     Eva- Suicide

     Sheila - Female Roles

     Mrs Birling - The Role of Charity

     Gerald - Public lives and private lives

     Eric- Emotional Weakness

4. Themes

     Class

     Social Responsibility

     Gender

     Conflict

5. Conclusion

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