inspector calls quotes and analysis

• "A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own - and -"

  (We hear the sharp ring of a doorbell. Birling stops to listen)

  Mr Birling's capitalist ideas were interrupted by a doorbell. Foreshadowing that the visitor is going to challenge his views.

  
  

  'Sharp' implies that something is going to cause the discomfort of the characters.
• "Sinkable, absolutely unsinkable"

  "I say there isn't a chance of war"

  Displays Birling's ignorance

  
  

  This repetition of Birling blatantly making incorrect predictions shows that Birling is ignorant, naive and arrogant and also implies that he will also have these ignorant thoughts later on in the play.

  
  

  Dramatic Irony
• "If you don't come down sharply on these people they'd soon be asking for the Earth"

  Describes Birlings view on the working class

  
  

  "These people" stereotypes the working class, generalising them and dismisses them as anonymous and unimportant.

  
  

  Mr Birling doesn't really realise that Eva Smith needs this money to live, rather than for her greed.
• How does Goole reply to "If you don't come down sharply on these people they'd soon be asking for the Earth"


  It's better to ask for the earth than take it
• "It's better to ask for the earth than take it"

  Juxtaposition with the verbs ask and take.

  
  

  Goole demonstrates how the upper class can take but the lower class are left to ask and hope for things. Shows socialist views compared to Birling capitalist views.
• (Pointing at Eric and Sheila)

  
  

  "The famous younger generation who knows it all. And they can't even take a joke-"

  
  

  //The telephone rings sharply//

  This feels inappropriate considering a girl had just commit suicide.

  
  

  We can clearly see that Birling has not learnt his lesson after Goole, straight after he thought that he was innocent his attitude took a humorous turn.

  
  

  Mr Birling is interrupted yet again
• "He's an old friend of mine (...) we play golf together"

  Birling uses this almost as a threat, trying to show off his social superiority and his connections with people of high status.
• "I'd give thousands"


  Mr Birling uses money to demonstrate how he would have done things differently if he knew how things would end up for Eva Smith.

  
  

  Shows how he is centred around money, he thinks money is the answer to everything.

  
  

  It seems like he does take a bit of responsibility, but when we see him feeling so positively after thinking that the Inspector wasn't really an inspector, we don't know if he actually took any responsibility at all.
• "The whole story's just a lot of moonshine"

  Birling is visually relieved when he finds out that there was no Inspector Goole. Unlike Sheila and Eric, both him and Mrs Birling haven't actually learnt a lesson from this experience.

  
  

  'Moonshine' is a type of homemade alcoholic drink which is known for being very high in alcohol.
• "Public Scandal"

  "I've got to cover this up as soon as I can"

  Mr Birling is more terrified about the fact that this might lead to a public scandal where his social status will be dragged down.

  
  

  He cares more about what people think of him than what happened to Eva Smith.
• "As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!"

  Mrs Birling shows her negative stereotypical view of the lower class - especially girls.
• "Besides, you're not the type - you don't get drunk"

  Shows that Mrs Birling doesn't know much about her children, as according to Sheila he gets drunk all the time, but Mrs Birling doesn't pay enough attention to him to realise.
• "Unlike the other three, I did nothing I'm ashamed of (...) you have no power to make me change my mind"

  Mrs Birling not only deflects responsibility showing that she has not learnt from her mistakes, but she also puts the responsibility onto her family.
• "Go and look for the father of the child. It's his responsibility"

  "I blame the young man who was the father of the child"

  Mrs Birling yet again deflects responsibility unknowingly onto her son Eric.

  
  

  We can see that she does not truely care about the death of Eva Smith when she talks down on the working class.

  
  

  Furthermore after finding out about how Eric raped Eva Smith, she apologises to Eric showing that she doesn't actually blame the father of Eva Smith's child for what happened to Eva.
• (Miserably) "So I'm really responsible?"

  Sheila isn't just asking the Inspector but she is also asking herself, in a way where she reconciles in her actions and ponders in the fact that she has contributed to Eva Smith's death. This shows character change and that she is starting to take responsibilty.

  
  

  Miserably - shows she is changing and showing responsibility.
• "There are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths (...) all intertwined with our lives."


  The inspectors final speech.

  
  

  There is a lot of repetition on 'millions' emphasising the fact that although Eva Smith's death might have felt significant to the characters, there is so much more people in the same situation.

  
  

  'Smith' is a common surname.

  
  

  Even though they are in a capitalist society, without the working class, there is no one to work for the upper class. Even if people don't realise it, everyone is needed in order for the society to function.
• "He was our police Inspector all right"

  Eric realises that even though the Inspector might have not been an actual police officer, Goole did in fact get them to confess to their actions.
• "They will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish."

  Anaphora of the word 'and'

  
  

  Instead of using commas, Goole repeats the word and which highlights the seriousness of each of the words he uses.

  
  

  This could be a foreshadowing of the first world war, where men are taught in blood, fire and anguish that if we cannot live together peacefully there will be so, so much pain. Links to Birling's statement about how there will be 'no war'.

  
  

  It could also be in a religious sense, where if humans cannot live together we will go to hell, judgement day. "Fire"
• What quotes show Generational divide?

  "The famous younger generation who knows it all. And they can't even take a joke" - Birling

  
  

  "You began to learn something. And now you've stopped. You're ready to go on in the same old way" - Sheila

  
  

  "I'll never, never do it again to anybody. I'm desperately sorry" - Sheila

  
  

  "Why shouldn't they try for higher wages?" - Eric

  
  

  "We've no proof it was the same photograph and therefore no proof it was the same girl" - Gerald

  
  

  '[Triumphantly] Didn't I tell you? Didn't I say I couldn't imagine a real police inspector talking like that to us?' - Mrs Birling
• Quotes for theme of Class

  "If you don't come down sharply on these people they'd soon be asking for the Earth" - Birling

  
  

  "It's better to ask for the earth than take it" - Goole

  
  

  "If you don't come down hard on these people, they'll soon be asking for the earth." - Birling

  
  

  "As if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money!" - Mrs Birling

  
  

  "These girls aren't cheap labour - they're people" - Sheila

  
  

  "There are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths (...) all intertwined with our lives." - Goole

  
  

  "Why shouldn't they try for higher wages?" - Eric
• Mr Birling quotes


  "A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own - and -"

  (We hear the sharp ring of a doorbell. Birling stops to listen)

  
  

  "Sinkable, absolutely unsinkable"

  "I say there isn't a chance of war"

  
  

  "If you don't come down sharply on these people they'd soon be asking for the Earth"

  
  

  (Pointing at Eric and Sheila)

  "The famous younger generation who knows it all. And they can't even take a joke-"

  //The telephone rings sharply//

  
  

  "He's an old friend of mine (...) we play golf together"

  
  

  "I'd give thousands"

  
  

  "If you don't come down hard on these people, they'll soon be asking for the earth."

  
  

  "The whole story's just a lot of moonshine"

  
  

  "Public Scandal"

  "I've got to cover this up as soon as I can"