class

• • Priestley reveals the destruction caused by social hierachy through the Birlings' treatment of Eva Smith
  • he intentionally does this to encourgae society of 1940s to move towards social equality
• context:

  • World Wars dismantled british class system
  • war meant different classes had similar lives
  • however, class inequality still exists
  • Priestley emphases how class ingrained into minds of upper class
• 1. values of upper class
  2. presents how upper class impacted lower class
  3. uses Inspector to give voice to lower class
• values of upper class:

  • Birlings live in blissful ignorance of suffering of others - shown by setting
  • Inspector 'ruins' their evening with news of Eva Smith's death
  • upper class alienate themsleves from lower class of society
• presents how upper class impacted lower class:

  • only one working class on stage - Edna
  • only role is to serve Birlings
  • plot has cumulative effect, each offence of family worst than last
  • Eva may be different women - she is symbol of lower class people and different ways they were exploited
  • Mrs Birling incredibly prejudice to lower class
  • Mr Birling perpetuates cycle of poverty
  • Sheila uses her status to ruin Eva
• uses Inspector and Sheila to give voice to lower class:

  • Sheila becomes socialist mouthpiece
  • Inspectore challenges upper class superiority through Mr Birling
  • Inspector implies upper class are criminal towards Gerald
  • Sheila used to break down upper class facade of respectibility
  • Eva given voice through Eric - she is seen as moral by refusing to steal money
• • by end of play, Birlings' views of superiority have all been challenged
  • they experience fall from grace
  • impact of Inspector on Sheila shows change is possible, and to encourage society to do same
• values of upper class:

  • "pink and intimate" lighting
  • rose tinted perspective, undisturbed by others
  • the Inspector made "nasty mess" of Birling dinner
  • he parallels this with "nice little promising life [...], and a nasty mess somebody's made of it
  • juxtaposition to show selfishness, Birling puts own troubles first before tragedy of Eva
  • "community and all that nonsense"
• presents how upper class impacted lower class:

  • "if you dont come down sharply on these people they'd soon be asking for the earth"
  • Mr Birling sees it as his job to keep lower class in check, they are unreasonable
  • "girls of that class", refusal of charity
  • "I went to the manager" / "I used my influence to have it refused"
• uses Inspector and Sheila to voice to lower class:

  • "it is better to ask for the earth than to take it"
  • "there isn't much difference as you think [...] I wouldn't know where to draw the line"
  • reply to "respectable citizens and not criminals"
  • "you must try and build up a kind of wall between us and that girl"
  • "We must really stop these silly pretences"