The document provides a revision guide for J.B. Priestley's play "An Inspector Calls". It includes summaries of the play's chronology, themes of responsibility, love, time, women's roles and class. It analyzes the significance of the play being set in 1912 but written in 1946. It examines the enigmatic Inspector and provides character analyses of Mr. Birling and Sheila. The revision guide comprehensively covers many key elements and interpretations of the play in under 7 pages.

1. J.B. Priestley,
An Ins;Jpector Calls
Revision Guide
Contents:
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The chronology of the play
Themes
Plot and structure .
What is the significance of Priestley writing ~ play in:1946 which is set in 1912?
Who is the Inspec..t~? ---~~ ~~
Revision ideas about narrative structure .
Looking at two characters in detail: Mr Birling and Sheila
The chronology 'of the play:
Year and month - What 'happens
September 1910 -'
December 1910
Late January 1911
March 1911
Early September 1911
Eva sacked by Bir1ing & Co.
Eva employed by Milwards.
Eva sacked by Milwards.
Eva becomes Gerald's mistress.
Gerald breaks off the affair. Eva leaves Brumley for two
months. .
Eric meets Eva.
Eva fmds she is pregnant.
'Mrs. Birting turns down Eva's application for help.
Eva's suicide/the Inspector calls*
'November 1911
December 1911/January 1912(
Late March 1912
Early Apri11912

2. Responsibility
Social responsibility - everyone is responsible for evet]one else. Who says this? Knows this?
Learns this? Refuses to accept this? Group people in term~ of how they respond to these
questions.
Personal responsibility: who does -and does not - accept responsibility for his or her own
actions? How closely are the two types of,responsibility linked?
Love
What kinds oflove do we see in the play? Husband and wife; parents and children; brother and
sister; engaged couple; illicit lovers. Do the characters' lives and places in society affect their
capacity to love? Does anyone feel true love? For whom? Include family as a related theme.
Time r-.~
What is the importance of time passing in the play? Of past and future? Youth and age? Note
that the play has at least two time periods: 1912 (when set), 1946 (when first performed) and
now - how far is it still relevaP-t? .
Role of women
How are women presented in the play? What does this say about their position in society?
Class
How is the class system presented in the play? How important are Priestley's socialist views?
Plot and structure ,~~~~
The acts are structured to lep.vethree dramatic pauses: Gerald's affair, Mrs Birling's denunciation
of the father ofthe baby, and the [mal phone call. This gives the playa whodunit structure, even
though we quickly see the play is a whydunit.
Act One introduces the Birling family, theInspector's arrival, Birling's story of why he fIred the
girl, Sheila's story of her vindictive complaint against her, ~nd Gerald's private admission to his
fIancee of his involvement with Paisy.
Act Twobegins with Gerald's story of his somewhat exploitative relationship with Daisy,
followed by Mrs Birling's unremorsefu,l account of her rejection of the girl due to her pregnancy.
Eric returns and ....
Act Three move into the sordid story of Eric's one night stands with a now desperate woman, his
impregnation of her, and his resorting to stealing to support her. This final act also deals with
theIr reactions to this new knowledge, their discovery of the apparent hoax, and the [mal phone
call taking the story back to its starting point. j •.

3. What is the significance of Priestley writing a play in 1946 which is
set in 1912?
The play opens with a scene of great luxury: a wealthy family is celebrating an engagement in a
very lavish fashion. This will be obvious to an audience that has spent the Second World War
without the luxuries that the Birlings are so abundantly enjoying (rationing contmued into the
1950s). Although Churchill (a Conservative) is seen as a war hero for leading the fight against
Nazism (he led a coalition govern~fep.t of Labour, Conservative and Liberal elements) a Socialist
government has won a landslide victory in the 1945 General Election. Priestley was a supporter
of the Labour party, and made many broadcasts on radio in which he tried to persuade people of
the merits of socialism.
In order to do this, Priestley sets the play in a time before there was a welfare state in the United
Kingdom, and when employers had great power over their workers.
Historical events of the time:
Sailing of the Titanic (imminent departure mentioned in the play)
Captain Scott and his expedition failed to reach the South Pole.
The Suffragette movement campaigning for women's rights. ~
Coal miners and others on strike for better pay and conditions.- %
''''''GDmeumest in Russia beginr~l'1g,mentioned in the play:- .-"~
Trade unions beginning to gain some power in society. f1l
Advances oftechnology: electric lighting in homes & cinema (mass media).
Motor cars developing, but only owned by those who were rich enough to do so.
No help from the state for poor. No DHSS or NHS & life expectancy about 46 years.
Events leading to World War I are well under way.
Society in 1912 ., 1/. .
People were expected to know their place in society and stitk to it and moving from one section
of the class system to another was frowned upon by those in power. .
-Workers were beginning to l5;:tit be known that they wanted to have a say in what happened to
them and did so through strikes and the formation of trade unions to co-ordinate these actions.
This was a strange idea to those who owned the fac;tories and workplaces, who expected to have
complete control over all aspects oftheir workers lives. The bosses wanted things to stay as they
always had been, with them in control of the lab~ur, Jobs, conditions and pay. The bosses, being
of a higher class thap.the workers, believed that they knew best and should make decisions for
the masses. These were mainly based on how much profit they could make and they rarely
considered the welfare of the workers.
In the play itself the main family, the Birlings are wealthy middle class landowners and
proprietors of a large factory that was built up by the father ofMr Birling. He has hopes of
gaining a knighthood, due to his service .as a magistrate and as Lord Mayor, which he sees as his
way to climb the social ladder to the lower rungs ofthe aristocracy. Mrs Birling, who is clearly of
a higher social class than her ,husband, represents an earlier run on this ladder. Sheila's marriage
is another rung -Lady Croft, in particular, is a member of the aristocracy and hoped for a:better

4. match for her son.. Note that both Mrs Birling and Lady Croft have married 'down' socially-
-presumably for money. Class therefore operates at every level in this play. Birling's knighthood
will bring hinf closer to the Crofts (though still not equal) and is clearly his main concern when
considering Eva's fate. '
This rigid social hierarchy is repeated in the family unit. Father was head of the family and his
word was law. Mothers had some influence, especially over daughters, but were less direct in
showing power. Children, even when adult, were expected to obey parents. As Sheila is
unmarried and Eric lives at home and works for his father they are treated as dependent children.
Being above the law (or playing goI{with the Chief Constable)
Setting the play in 1912 enables Priestley to portray Mr Birling as a man who can use his
influence to stop the Inspector from continuing with his investigation. Many people in 1946 fe'lt
that ending this kind of inequity was partly why World War II was fought. In the same way,
Sheila is able to have Eva sacked from Millwards' shop by threatening the manager that her
family will close its account there unless Eva goes. It would be hard to refuse such a threat.
Mr Birling's idea of progress
Mr Birling's views of the likely results oftechnological change (see his comments on cars and
aeroplanes) are deeply ironic. The audience would be keenly aware of how wrong he was about
the Titanic, Russia and the unions. (The play was Yfitten before most people realised how brutal
Stalin's regime was in Russia.)
Young men and wild oats .
This play depicts a common situation from the early years of the 20th century - young women
from the middle classes would not be sexually active before marriage. This has little to do with
virtue - but much to do with securing a good match. But poorer women could sometimes be
seduced in return for material rewards (Eva's life wIth Gerald is considerably more comfortable
than she could ever manage with her own earnings, though that is not her motivation). However,
a man who married completely out of his class (e.g. Gerald marrying Eva) would find his wife a
social outcast - and he with her to a lesser extent. Middle .and;tipper class men were allowed....•.""",-
considerable sexual freedom (if they were discreet) - but onty with working class women.?
Seducing a middle-class girl meant breaking a powerful moral code.
Working class girls were at the mercy of rich men and could find it hard to refuse sex as these
men held social and economic power. Many became pregnant and had no resources to care for '
themselves or their children. Unmarried mothers were frowned upon and in some cases treated as
if they were mad and locked up.
Charity and the welfare state
Because this is 1912, there is no system of benefit payments for 'impoverished people; Eva has to
approach a committee of which Mrs. Birling is the chairman, but is refused help. Charity work
was one area where wealthy women had some independent power. While many were no doubt
genuinely charitable, Mrs. Birling's exploitation of her position to feel self-important (while
denying help to those who really need it) was quite common.
Women who disapproved of their husbands and sons sleeping with working-class girls were
expected to overlook and forgive tlfeir b~haviour. They may well have felt tempted to show their

5. "1;;'
--w. ,
,anger by refusing help to the girls themselves instead. Think about how Mrs Birling insists upon
the responsibility of the father - this could almost be a kind of feminism.
Conclusion
When you have looked at all of these ideas, you should consider the question in a more general
sense. Th~ Inspector, in his [mal speech, tries to show how both the First World War, and the
Second, which had just ended when Priestley wrote the play, were the result of attitudes and
behaviour such as those of powerful and wealthy families like the Birlings: This may 'explain
Why all the worst features of such families seem to be present in the Birlings: they represent the
worst qualities of their class. ,Consideqwhether you think they are believable as individuals, or
have they been made too bad to be tro€'1 . '
Who is the Inspector?
Priestley used supernatural effects in other plays to make a moral point. (He also played with
time - in this play the Inspector's visit seems to have taken notime at all.)
• The timing of his entry (noted by Eric);
~' His method of working:-"l:lfieperson and one line of enquiry at ~" (A policeman Q~
would not insist on this. A r~alpoliceman would interview people alone. This IT/spector
already knows; he wants the others to see what they have done.)
• His asking Birling why he refused Eva's request for a pay rise.
• His saying that he never takes offence.
• His statement that he does not see much of the chief constable.
• His failure to be alarmed by Birling's threats.
• His reply to Birling's question: "You sure of youI factf?"! "Some of them - yes". (Not all, .
because not all have happened yet: Eva Smith has not yet killed herself it would seem.)
• His concern for moral law not for criminallaw.
• Sheila's recognition of his authority arid supernatural knowledge - as shown in her
warnings to Gerald and to'her mother.
• His statement about his impression on Sheila: "We often do on the young on,es".
• His impatience to "get on" with his questioning followed by his statement that he hasn't
"much time". (A police officer would take as much time as was needed. Does he needs to
finish before Eva decides whether or.not to end her life?)
• His saying, "I don't need to know any more", once he has shown the Birlings and Gerald
what each has done.
• His [mal speech, which has nothing to do with criminal law, but which is a lecture on '
social responsibiility and the perils of ignoring it.
• The Birlings' discovery that no such officer is on the local police force.
• The Inspector's telling Sheila there is "no reason why" she should "understand about" him
• Eric's saying ''He was our police inspector all right" followed by Sheila's comment "Well,
he inspected us all right" I
Who or what is the Inspector? In the text there are many clues. Examine each of these and try to
inte~r~it ' .

6. • His foreknowledge of Eva's death and intimate knowledge of Eva's life although he never
spoke to he~ .
• His prediction of a massive social catastrophe ("fire and blood and anguish") which
clearly refers (for the Birlings) to the First World War and (for the audience) to both
World Wars. •
• His name: a "ghoul" is an evil demon, which eats the flesh'ofthe dead, or, .
metaphorically, a person obsessed by another's d~ath. After he has gone the Inspettor is
said by Birling to have exploited Eva's alleged death to frighten the "victims" of his
supposed practical joke. Is it more important to know who the Inspector is, or what he has
to say? Should Priestley (the playwright) have made him more obviously spooky?
Some useful ideas to remember as you read through the play:
• Structure: this is very compact; nothing is allowed to distract the audience from the
central theme. There is no sub-plot. This gives a more intense and even claustrophobic
effect:
• The Classical Unities: Priestley obeys all three - again, for an intensive effect. One
place, one plot, and one time - in fact stage time and 'real time' are the same.
• Establishing the scene: Act One begins by introducing the characters and establishing
the idea of a happy and united family looking forward to the future with confidence. In
retrospect, there are hints that all is not as it seems but these are not obvious until later.
There is nothing to warD.us of the shock of the Inspector's visit
• Crisis: With the arrival of the Inspector, tension builds up to the play's crisis: we are
quickly inf9rmed of Birling and Sheila's involvement with Eva Smith. Tensions increase,
firstly as Gerald's affair is unveiled (and the scandal it would cause) and Sheila begins to
realise that they are all implicated in some way 'hej.s giving us rope - so that we'll hang
ourselves'. -..-Ii .
• Dramatic irony: Mrs Birling's attempts to shift the blame for the girl's suicide leads her
to blame the father of the unborn child. The tension is heightened further at this point by
the dramatic entrance of Eric.
• Apparent resolution: with the departure of the Inspectpr it would appear that what
follows will be an anti-climax as the Inspecto,.r'sidentity is put into doubt by Mr and Mrs
Birling and Gerald. Even the existence of Eva is called into question. However, some
tension remains as the two generations argue about what has really happened - the moral
divide is very great indeed
• Actual resolution: the final denouement, the phone call announcing that a police
inspector is on his way to ask some questions about a girl who has just died in the
infirmary ensures that the audience will leave the audit<;>riumin a state of real shock The
false ending followed by a real one gives a real detective thriller effect.

7. Looking at two characters in detail: Mr Bitting and Sheila
Mr Birling
• prosperous factory owner, not the social equal of his wife. He is 'a self made man'. .
• first priority is to make money '!t'y my duty to keep labour cost down'
• welcomes Croft into his family as he represents a business link between his firm and that
of Gerald Croft's father (a rival)
has an honest approach to life, se tells the Inspector that he wouldn't listen to Eva Smith's
demand for a wage rise 'I refust~!d,of course' and is surprised why anyone should question
why.
• strongly believes that 'a man has to make his own way'. He does not consider the harm he
may cause to other people because of his attitude. He is a 'hard headed business man '
• he is a magistrate and former mayor who is looking forward to receiving a knighthood
• he is very aWare that Gerald's mother is rather against her son's marriage because she
believes him to be marrying beneath him socially
• he is optimistic about the future, yet we know that what he predicts will not become true
(NB dramatic irony)
!:I
• he refuses to accept any responsibility for Eva's death. He £Jcomes increasing annoyed
=- by the Inspector's questigr:;llig and Eric's uns'yrnpathetic attituue~ 6~
. ~
• he tries to threaten the Inspe.ctor by talking about his friendship with the Chief Constable
• the most disturbing part of the play for Biding is the scene in which he learns that his own
son is shown to be athief, a drunkard and is responsible for fathering a child. When he
learns of all this he exclaims 'You damnedfool- fIlhydidn'tyou come to me when you
found yourself in this mess?'
• Eric's reply indicates that Mr Biding was never close ,to his son 'Because yo~'re not the
kind of chap a man could turn to when he's in troubl~~",Such a response indicates that
things aren't going to improve much after the play ends
• he.represents a very unattJactive sort of person. At the end of the play he grudgingly
wishes things were better but even here he still thinks in terms of money 'Look, Inspector
- I'd give thousands'
• he continues to ignore the shameful things that his family has done. When it appears that
the Inspector might be a hoaxer he is.happy to believe that everything is as it was a few
hours ago. He copies the Inspector and laughs when he re:rp.embersthe faces of Eric and
Sheila and accuses them of being 'thefamous younger generation who know it aIr. This is
an example of pride coming bef<,?rea fall, a moment later of course he is panicking as the
phone rings again '. '
• Mr Birling represents Priestley's hatred of businessmen who are only interested in making
money. He will never alter his ways and it is left to the younger generation to learn from
their mistakes

8. Sheila
• at the start ofthe play she is 'very pleased with life'. She is young, attractive and has just
become engaged
• her happiness is soon to be destroyed as is her faith in her family
.• her response to the tragedy is one of the few encouraging things to come out of the play.
She is genuinely upset when she hears of Eva's death and learns from her own behaviour
• she is very distressed by the girl's suicide and thinks that her father's behaviour was
unacceptable. She readily agrees that she behaved very badly and insists that she never
meant the girl any harm.
• the Inspector says that she is only partly responsible aria later on, when he is about to
question Gerald, he encourages her to stay and listen to what he has to say so that she
doesn't feel entirely responsible '.
• not only is she prepared to admit her faults, she also appears' keen and anxious to change
her behaviour in the future, 'I'll neNer, never do it again'
• she is aware of the mystery surrounding the Inspector, yet realises that there is no point in
trying to hide the facts from him
• she is mature about the breaking up of her engagement and remains calm. She won't be
rushed into accepting the ring back once the Inspector has left
• she is unable to accept her parents attitude and is both amazed and concerned that they
haven't learned anything from the episode. Although the Inspector might be a hoax, the
family have still behaved in an entirely unsuitable manner
• she leafns of her responsibilities to others less fortunate than herself (the idea ofthe
commimity) and is sensitive. Her readiness to learn from experience is in great contrast to
her parents
Looking at these notes, make some of your own about the ojh.erc)laracters based on your
knowledge of the play and the historical background in this:t(;:vision guide.
This revision guide should help you with ·the sort of questions that are likely to appear on the
Literature Paper - but remember, the most important revision is to read the play carefully. It
won't take long - and it is absolutely essential.