PLOT

• In the play "An Inspector Calls," the Birling family is visited by Inspector Goole
• Inspector Goole arrives during the celebration of Sheila Birling's engagement to Gerald Croft
• The Inspector reveals that a girl named Eva Smith has taken her own life by drinking disinfectant
• The family is initially confused as to why the Inspector has called to see them
• The investigation by Inspector Goole reveals that the family is all caught up in Eva Smith's death
• The play was first performed in 1945, a time of great change with both World Wars fresh in people's minds
• Women had become more prominent in the workplace
• It was possible to be class mobile
• The play is set in 1912, and the characters have no knowledge of the world events happening in 1945
• Priestley uses this to make important points about society and responsibility