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AQA English Literature · Paper 2
J.B. Priestley · Written 1945 · Set in 1912 · Three-Act Play
The play takes place in real time over a single evening. The Inspector arrives and systematically reveals each character's connection to Eva Smith's death.
The play opens in the Birling family's comfortable dining room in the industrial city of Brumley in spring 1912. They are celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft, the son of a rival business owner. The family appears prosperous and confident.
Arthur Birling makes a series of speeches about the future, claiming the Titanic is 'unsinkable,' that war is impossible, and that a man's only responsibility is to himself and his family. He tells Gerald: 'a man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own.'
The doorbell rings. Inspector Goole arrives to investigate the death of a young woman called Eva Smith (also known as Daisy Renton), who has died by swallowing disinfectant. The Inspector begins questioning Mr Birling.
Mr Birling admits he employed Eva Smith at his factory but sacked her for leading a strike demanding higher wages (from 22 and 6 to 25 shillings a week). He shows no remorse, calling it a 'perfectly straightforward case.'
Sheila is shown a photograph and recognises Eva. She confesses she had Eva fired from her next job at Milwards, a department store, because Eva smiled when Sheila tried on a dress that did not suit her. Sheila acted out of jealousy and spite.
Unlike her father, Sheila is genuinely distressed. She accepts responsibility: 'If I could help her now, I would.' Gerald reacts strangely when the Inspector mentions the name 'Daisy Renton,' and Sheila notices.
Gerald admits he met Daisy Renton (Eva Smith) at the Palace Bar, a venue associated with prostitution. He kept her as his mistress for several months, providing her with a flat and money. He ended the relationship when it suited him.
Gerald claims he felt genuine affection for Daisy, but Sheila recognises that the power imbalance made it exploitative regardless of his feelings. She returns the engagement ring.
Mrs Birling enters and is immediately cold and dismissive toward the Inspector. She tries to use her social position to intimidate him, but the Inspector is unmoved.
Mrs Birling admits that Eva Smith came to her charity committee (the Brumley Women's Charity Organisation) asking for help. Eva was pregnant and desperate.
Mrs Birling refused to help because Eva initially used the name 'Mrs Birling,' which Sybil found impertinent. She also refused because she felt the father of the child should take responsibility.
Mrs Birling insists the father should be 'dealt with very severely' and made 'an example of.' Sheila tries to stop her mother, realising the implication, but Mrs Birling does not understand until the Inspector reveals that the father is Eric, her own son.
Eric admits he met Eva at the Palace Bar, got her pregnant, and stole money from his father's business to support her. Eva refused the stolen money because she knew where it came from.
Eric turns on his mother: 'You killed her - and the child she'd have had too.' The family is torn apart by mutual recrimination.
The Inspector delivers his final speech about social responsibility: 'We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.' He warns that if people do not learn this lesson, they will be 'taught it in fire and blood and anguish.'
After the Inspector leaves, Gerald returns and suggests the Inspector may not have been a real police officer. They phone the police and confirm there is no Inspector Goole on the force.
Mr and Mrs Birling are relieved and try to dismiss the evening's events. They suggest the Inspector may have shown them photographs of different girls, meaning there may not have been a single victim.
Sheila and Eric are appalled that their parents are trying to avoid responsibility. Sheila insists: 'You're pretending everything is just as it was before.'
The phone rings. A girl has just died on her way to the infirmary after swallowing disinfectant. A police inspector is on his way to question them. The play ends with the family staring in shock.
A wealthy factory owner and local politician. Birling represents the self-interested capitalist class that Priestley attacks throughout the play. He is pompous, self-important, and concerned above all with profit, social status, and avoiding scandal. Priestley uses dramatic irony to undermine his authority from the start.
'The Titanic... unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable'
'A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own'
'I can't accept any responsibility'
'The famous younger generation who know it all'
Mrs Birling is Arthur's socially superior wife. She chairs the Brumley Women's Charity Organisation but uses her position to judge and exclude rather than help. She represents the moral hypocrisy of the upper class - those who perform charity while lacking genuine compassion.
'Girls of that class'
'I did nothing I'm ashamed of'
'He should be made an example of'
'I accept no blame for it at all'
Sheila begins as a naive, spoiled young woman but undergoes a genuine moral awakening during the play. She is the first to accept responsibility and the most vocally horrified by her parents' refusal to change. Priestley uses Sheila to represent the younger generation's potential for social progress.
'But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people'
'If I could help her now, I would'
'You're pretending everything is just as it was before'
'I tell you - whoever that Inspector was, it was anything but a joke'
Eric is the Birlings' son - a heavy drinker who got Eva pregnant and stole money to support her. He represents the failures of upper-class upbringing: privileged but emotionally neglected, wealthy but morally adrift. Like Sheila, he accepts responsibility, but his guilt is more desperate and self-destructive.
'You're not the kind of father a chap could go to when he's in trouble'
'I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty'
'You killed her - and the child she'd have had too'
'We did her in all right'
Gerald is Sheila's fiance and the son of a wealthy industrialist (Lord Croft). He kept Eva as his mistress, providing her with comfort before abandoning her. Gerald is charming and seemingly kind, but his treatment of Eva reveals the exploitative power dynamics of class and gender. He sides with the older generation at the end.
'She was young and pretty and warm-hearted - and intensely grateful'
'I became at once the most important person in her life'
'Everything's all right now, Sheila'
Inspector Goole is a mysterious figure who may not be a real police inspector at all. His name puns on 'ghoul' (spirit). He functions as Priestley's mouthpiece, delivering the play's socialist message directly to the Birling family and, through them, to the audience. His true identity is never revealed, which is part of his power.
'We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other'
'they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish'
'One person and one line of inquiry at a time'
'Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges'
Eva never appears on stage, yet she is the play's most important character. She represents all working-class women exploited by the privileged classes. Each Birling contributed to her destruction. She may not even be a single person - the Inspector may have used photographs of different women. This would strengthen Priestley's point: Eva represents an entire class, not just one individual.
'A pretty, lively sort of girl' (described by Birling)
'She'd had a lot to say - far too much - so she had to go' (Birling on the strike)
'She told me she didn't want me to touch her' (Eric's confession)
This is the central theme of the play. Priestley uses the Inspector to argue that we are all interconnected and responsible for each other's welfare. Mr Birling's individualist philosophy ('a man has to look after himself') is systematically dismantled as each character is shown the consequences of their selfishness. The play is a direct argument for socialism and the welfare state, written in 1945 just as the Labour government was creating the NHS and the modern welfare system.
'A man has to mind his own business and look after himself'
'We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other'
'they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish'
The play exposes the rigid class system of Edwardian England, where the wealthy exploited the poor without consequence. Every character's treatment of Eva is shaped by class: Birling sees her as disposable labour, Sheila sees her as a shop girl who dared to smile, Mrs Birling sees her as a girl 'of that class.' Priestley argues that class privilege creates moral blindness - the Birlings cannot see Eva as fully human because her class makes her invisible.
'Girls of that class'
'But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people'
'come down sharply on some of these people, they'd soon be asking for the earth'
Eva Smith's story exposes the vulnerability of women in Edwardian society. She is exploited by men (Birling as employer, Gerald as lover, Eric through coercion) and judged by women of higher class (Sheila's jealousy, Mrs Birling's prejudice). Eva had no legal protections, no vote (women did not get the vote until 1918), and no economic independence. Priestley shows that gender compounds class disadvantage.
'She was young and pretty and warm-hearted - and intensely grateful'
'I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty'
'She'd had a lot to say - far too much - so she had to go'
The play creates a clear divide between the older generation (Mr and Mrs Birling, who refuse to change) and the younger generation (Sheila and Eric, who accept responsibility). This was directly relevant to Priestley's 1945 audience: the older generation had created two world wars, and the younger generation had a chance to build something better. Priestley places his hope in the young, while condemning the moral rigidity of the old.
'The famous younger generation who know it all'
'You're pretending everything is just as it was before'
'We did her in all right'
The play functions as a moral test for each character. The Inspector presents them with evidence of their wrongdoing and watches how they respond. Those with genuine conscience (Sheila, Eric) are changed. Those who suppress conscience (Mr Birling, Mrs Birling) remain the same. The Inspector himself is conscience personified - a figure who forces people to confront uncomfortable truths they would rather ignore.
'If I could help her now, I would'
'I can't accept any responsibility'
'I tell you - whoever that Inspector was, it was anything but a joke'
“The Titanic... unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”
Mr Birling (Act 1)
Dramatic irony: the 1945 audience knows the Titanic sank in 1912. This immediately undermines Birling's authority and judgement. His absolute confidence ('absolutely') makes his wrongness even more damning. Priestley signals that everything Birling believes is wrong, including his views on social responsibility.
“A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own”
Mr Birling (Act 1)
Birling's individualist manifesto. This directly contradicts the Inspector's later message about collective responsibility. The repetition of 'his own' emphasises selfishness. The play systematically proves this philosophy wrong. Priestley wrote this to discredit the capitalist worldview.
“Come down sharply on some of these people, they'd soon be asking for the earth”
Mr Birling (Act 1)
'These people' dehumanises the working class. 'Come down sharply' reveals the violence underlying class power. 'Asking for the earth' is hyperbole - Eva asked for a small wage increase. Birling's language exposes the cruelty masked by business respectability.
“But these girls aren't cheap labour - they're people”
Sheila (Act 1)
Sheila's moral awakening begins here. She challenges her father's dehumanisation of workers. The dash creates emphasis on 'they're people' - the fundamental truth the Birlings have forgotten. This is one of the first indications that Sheila will accept the Inspector's message.
“If I could help her now, I would”
Sheila (Act 1)
Genuine remorse expressed simply and directly. The conditional 'if I could' shows Sheila understands that some damage cannot be undone. This contrasts sharply with her parents, who never express any desire to help. Sheila is the play's moral compass.
“She was young and pretty and warm-hearted - and intensely grateful”
Gerald (Act 2)
'Intensely grateful' is disturbing: Gerald valued Eva's gratitude because it made him feel powerful. The list of adjectives ('young,' 'pretty,' 'warm-hearted') shows he saw her physical and emotional qualities as commodities. The dash before 'and intensely grateful' gives it sinister emphasis.
“Girls of that class”
Mrs Birling (Act 2)
Three words that reveal Mrs Birling's entire worldview. 'That class' creates distance and contempt - Eva is defined entirely by her social position. Mrs Birling cannot see past class to recognise shared humanity. This phrase encapsulates the class prejudice the play attacks.
“I did nothing I'm ashamed of”
Mrs Birling (Act 2)
Mrs Birling refuses to feel guilt, despite turning away a pregnant woman who came to her for help. The emphasis on 'I' shows self-absorption. 'Nothing I'm ashamed of' reveals a conscience completely deadened by class superiority. She is the play's most morally static character.
“He should be made an example of”
Mrs Birling (Act 2)
Dramatic irony at its most devastating. Mrs Birling is unknowingly condemning her own son. She demands punishment for the father of Eva's child, not realising it is Eric. Her self-righteous certainty makes the revelation more powerful. This is Priestley's masterful use of dramatic structure.
“You're not the kind of father a chap could go to when he's in trouble”
Eric (Act 3)
Eric exposes the emotional coldness behind the Birlings' respectable facade. The family may be wealthy, but there is no genuine communication or support. This explains Eric's alcoholism and recklessness - he has no parental guidance. Priestley suggests the upper class neglects its own children as well as the poor.
“I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty”
Eric (Act 3)
Eric's euphemistic admission that he forced himself on Eva. 'That state' refers to drunkenness. 'Turns nasty' minimises sexual violence through understatement. The passive construction ('turns nasty') avoids taking full responsibility. Priestley exposes how language can obscure the reality of male violence.
“You killed her - and the child she'd have had too”
Eric (Act 3)
Eric directly accuses his mother. The bluntness is shocking after an evening of euphemism and evasion. 'The child she'd have had too' doubles the horror - Mrs Birling's refusal killed both mother and unborn child. This is the most emotionally raw moment in the play.
“We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other”
Inspector Goole (Act 3)
The Inspector's final speech and the play's thesis statement. 'Members of one body' is both socialist (the body politic) and Christian (the body of Christ). The short, declarative sentences have the force of commandments. This is Priestley speaking directly to his 1945 audience, arguing for the welfare state and collective responsibility.
“They will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish”
Inspector Goole (Act 3)
A prophetic warning. For the characters in 1912, this refers to World War I (1914-18). For the 1945 audience, it refers to both world wars. The tricolon ('fire and blood and anguish') builds in intensity. The conditional 'if' offers a choice: learn voluntarily or suffer the consequences. The final phone call suggests the Birlings chose to ignore the lesson.
“You're pretending everything is just as it was before”
Sheila (Act 3)
Sheila challenges her parents' attempt to dismiss the evening's events. 'Pretending' accuses them of deliberate self-deception. She understands that the moral truths revealed cannot be un-learned, regardless of whether the Inspector was real. This is the generational divide in action.
“Public men, Mr Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges”
Inspector Goole (Act 1)
The Inspector directly challenges Birling's belief that power comes without obligation. 'Responsibilities as well as privileges' is the foundation of social democracy. The formal address ('Mr Birling') is controlled and authoritative. This sentence applies to every powerful institution in society.
“We are responsible for each other… in fire and blood and anguish”
Inspector Goole (Act 3)
The Inspector's warning connects responsibility to consequences. The shift from 'we are' (present, inclusive) to 'they will be taught' (future, inevitable) creates urgency. Priestley gives his audience a choice: build a just society now, or repeat the catastrophes of the past.
“Millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us”
Inspector Goole (Act 3)
Eva becomes representative of the entire working class. The triple repetition of 'millions' hammers home the scale of the problem. 'John Smiths' extends the argument to men as well. 'Still left with us' insists that this is an ongoing, current problem, not a historical one. The common surname 'Smith' makes the point universal.
This dual time setting is crucial. The play is set in 1912, before World War I, when the class system was rigid and unchallenged. It was written in 1945, just after World War II, when Britain was ready for radical social change. Priestley uses the gap between these dates to create powerful dramatic irony: the audience knows that Birling's confident predictions about peace and prosperity are catastrophically wrong.
J.B. Priestley was a committed socialist who believed in collective responsibility, public ownership, and the welfare state. He gave influential radio broadcasts during WWII (the 'Postscripts') that argued for a fairer post-war society. An Inspector Calls is his most direct political play. He wrote it to persuade his audience to vote Labour in the 1945 election - which they did, in a landslide victory.
The play was first performed in 1945, the same year the Labour government was elected. Labour created the NHS (1948), nationalised key industries, and built the modern welfare state. Mrs Birling's charity committee represents the old model of voluntary, class-controlled charity - unreliable and subject to prejudice. Priestley argues for state-guaranteed support that cannot be withheld by individuals.
The play is set in the Edwardian era, a period of extreme inequality. The wealthy lived in luxury while the working class endured poverty, poor housing, and dangerous working conditions. Women had no vote. Trade unions were weak. There was no safety net for the unemployed or sick. The Birling family's comfortable dining room represents this privileged bubble.
The Inspector's warning about 'fire and blood and anguish' refers to both world wars. Priestley (and his audience) believed that the selfishness and inequality of Edwardian society had contributed to these catastrophes. The wars broke down class barriers and created a sense of shared sacrifice. Priestley argues that post-war Britain must not return to pre-war inequality.
In 1912, women could not vote, had limited legal rights, and were economically dependent on men. The suffragette movement was active but had not yet succeeded. Eva Smith's vulnerability is specifically gendered: she is exploited by men and judged by women of higher class. By 1945, women had gained the vote (1918/1928) and had proved their capabilities during the war.
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An Inspector Calls © The Estate of J.B. Priestley. Short quotations reproduced under the fair dealing provision of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 for the purpose of criticism and review.