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AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 2: “An Inspector Calls- J
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His
action seems peculiar as he “suddenly guffaws”
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This shows how
irresponsible his parents are
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Also, his participation in the world’s
activities means he knows more information compared to
Sheila
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 Birling’s friend: Algerman, Meggarty and even Gerald go to
the bar to get women but they are not blames
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Also going to the bar was seen pretty normal
in the Edwardian era
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Also giving her
money shows that he is trying to take care of her
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The reference chap is broad to show everyone
including Gerald who participates in this
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That’s
why”
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He is seen really angry at this point where
he argues that “I don’t give a damn now”
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 He is the one who takes responsibility and admits his
mistakes “You’re beginning to pretend as if nothing’s really
happened at all
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The girl’s still
dead, isn’t she? This rhetorical question shows his caring
nature but also a change in character as now he is able to
question his family
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Character: Arthur Birling
 He is an arrogant man
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“Provincial in
his speech” shows that he has a regional accent which shows that he is a middleclass business
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The reason for the
marriage is wealth to him
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“The German’s don’t want war” “unsinkable,
absolutely unsinkable” This is a dramatic irony where the contemporary audience
knows the truth of the war and Titanic
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 He also is authoritative as he doesn’t want to hear other people’s opinion
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“Does that satisfy you?
So I refused
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He orders Sheila to stop admiring her ring and
listen to the world’s news
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“a man has to make his own way” this is a sarcastic irony as he doesn’t
allow Eva to move up the social ladder when she asks for a higher pay but he
claims that “she’d had to say – far too much – so she had to go of course”
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“Mixed up together like bees in a hive”,
“community and all that nonsense” “a man has to mind his own business and look
out for himself and his own”
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 When the Inspector arrives, he tries to maintain the control by claiming that he
knows “the Brumley police officers pretty well”
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He calls
the lower class “cheap labour” “the wretched girl’s suicide”
 He doesn’t learn anything from the Inspector as he offers to “give thousands” and
wants to hid Eric’s mistakes “I’ve got to cover this up as soon as I can” “The whole
story’s just a lot of moonshine” “hoax” “an elaborate sell” business language for
trickery shows he may not be an honest businessman
 He does not respect women at all
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He confronts the Inspector to ask question to “my wife”
shows that he is possessive and doesn’t let Sybil control her situation
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B Priestley
Character: Sybil Birling
 She is a “rather cold woman and her husband’s superior”
This shows that her status is higher than Arthur and she
claims all the rights
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“When you’re married, you’ll realise that men
with important work to do sometimes have to spend all
their time and energy on their business
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When Sheila
says “squiffy” she responds “What an expression Sheila!”
She believes that language is important as it shows their
class
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“You
know of course that my husband was Lord Mayor only
two years ago…” the adverb only makes her superior,
boastful and snobbish
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 The Inspector asks leading questions which shows her
character “You’re a member, a prominent member, of
the Brumley Women’s Charity Organisation, aren’t you”
“She came to you for help at a time when no woman
could have needed it more” her greed blinds her to help
Eva
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She has the control to decide
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She impertinently made use of our name”
this shows how concerned she is about status
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She disliked her “condition” which
shows the traditional values of pregnancy outside
wedlock
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When she finds it
a hoax, she talks “triumphantly”

Character: Sheila
 At first, her character is very jolly “very pleased with life and rather excited”
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When she gets the ring she
says “Look – mummy – isn’t it a beauty?” she sounds very childish and the hyphens show her
admiration of the ring
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Her childish behaviour is the
reason why Eva got sacked from Millwards so it makes it easier for the audience to forgive her
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 As the play develops her character changes
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This shows how she is learning responsibility
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This shows that
she has become sharp and strong-minded
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 She’s not naïve as the Inspector says that she “isn’t living on the moon” and she says “I’m not a
child” At the start of the play, there was hints about Gerald and Sheila’s relationship as she says
“half serious, half playful” “Except for last summer, when you never came near me” But when she
finds out she says “You were the wonderful fairy prince
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 By the end of the play, she is a transformed person who admits that “probably between us we
killed her” She thanks Gerald for being honest but then says “You and I aren’t the same person
who sat down to dinner here”
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Character: Gerald Croft
 “An attractive chap about thirty” in contrast to Arthur, he is young but he has old values
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When the Inspector asks him “young women ought to be protected against
unpleasant and disturbing things” he says yes thinking of Sheila
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Gerald is sharp as he is able to hide his
affairs compared to Eric
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This shows that he may have liked her
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“I didn’t install her there so I could make love her” shows that it was a
deal almost so he gives her house and he gets sexual pleasure from her
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When he finds out he says “My God!
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B Priestley
Context
 An Inspector calls was written in 1945 but set in 1912 before the First
World War
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There was not must government help which is why
charities like Sybil was so important but they still misused their role
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After the world war, many people lost their lives and questioned
the leadership
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 After WW2 people wanted to make society better to prevent another
one so socialism and left-wing ideas became popular
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g
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 In 1912, only men were allowed to vote and women’s life was controlled
by the husband
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Men were supposed to be the
breadwinner and protect women
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However, the tension
builds up with Mrs Birling’s etiquette issues, Eric acting strange and Sheila
questioning Gerald
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Theme: Young and Old
 The older generation are old-fashioned and see themselves as
controlling and ruling class
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“Public scandal” “I’ve got to cover this as soon as I
can”
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 The younger generation are determines to change and continuously
question their parents
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This shows how they are willing to change
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 Gerald is from the younger generation but his ideas are very traditional
and old
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This portrays the idea that people
can choose whether to change or not
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Structure
 Priestley uses a mixture of Well-made play and Whodunnit as part of the Greek
theatre
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Whodunnit: murder or mystery is solved, a competent figure detecting
the mystery and a climax where the truths are revealed
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The Inspector causes a dramatic
entrance and it causes a cliff-hanger
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Act 3 is a
catastrophe/climax where truths are revealed
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 There is a strong linear structure with “one person and one line of enquiry at a
time”
 There is also a cyclical structure where it opens with an engagement and at the
end Sheila refuses it
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Theme: Gender
 In Edwardian era, women were supposed to be fascinated in clothes and vanity
“Look – mummy – isn’t it a beauty?” They’re often protected by “unpleased and
disturbing” things
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Arthur claims that he “broke out and had a bit of fun
sometimes”
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 However, as the play develops these role changes
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Eva refused money from Eric which shows that she has
more moral values than the others
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Theme: Social Responsibility
 The Birlings think that class matters most
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This is ironic as he passes judgment when
he’s immoral himself
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 This example of the family is everyone as this attitude was common
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Eva is more honourable than
the Birlings which may have surprised the audience as they are unaware
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AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 2: “An Inspector Calls- J

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