social class

• Social class influences a lot of what happens in "An Inspector Calls," with the play set in a time when class divided Britain
• The land and factory owners were wealthy and powerful, while their workers lived in poverty, rarely interacting
• The World Wars dismantled the British class system, bringing people together and emphasizing class inequality that Priestley wanted to highlight
• The upper class Birlings initially live in blissful ignorance of others' suffering, symbolized by the "pink and intimate" lighting in the play
• Mr. Birling's capitalist views overlook the struggles of the lower classes, showing how success for some does not mean success for all
• The character Eva Smith symbolizes the lower classes as a whole, with the audience's perspective of her altered by the Birlings' classist remarks and bias
• Mr. Birling, a member of the nouveau riche, is insecure about his social class, wanting to climb the social ladder and feeling entitled to respect and power
• Mr. Birling's treatment of the lower classes is evident in his belief that they need to be put in their place, perpetuating the cycle of poverty and widening the class divide
• Interactions between Mr. Birling and Gerald Croft demonstrate how social class influences people's actions with ulterior motives and causes unnecessary divisions
• In the early 20th century, the increase in factories and business allowed people without noble backgrounds to become wealthy, creating a distinction between 'old money' and 'new money'
• The tension between Mr Birling (nouveau riche) and Gerald's family highlights the difference in class due to the Crofts' "old country" heritage
• Mr Birling's keenness for Gerald and Sheila to marry is driven by his desire to climb the social ladder and grow his business
• Mrs Birling's upper-class prejudice is evident in her assumptions about Eva, leading her to deny Eva help from the charity
• Mrs Birling believes all lower-class people are immoral and money-hungry, leading her to overreact and see every small flaw as confirmation of her bias
• Sheila's reaction to Eva's death exposes her selfish naivety, as she wishes to remain ignorant of others' misfortunes to preserve her own happiness
• Priestley's play explores the theme of social class and its impact on individuals and society
• The play highlights the contrast between the upper and lower classes, exposing the hypocrisy and double standards enabled by social class
• Sheila and the Inspector identify and expose the ways in which the Birling family contribute to the class divide
• Mr. Birling's entitlement and superiority are challenged by the Inspector, who implies the upper classes "take" from society, presenting their entitlement as selfish and destructive
• Gerald's objection to the Inspector's treatment reveals how the upper classes see a clear division between themselves as "respectable" and the "criminals" of the lower classes
• Priestley suggests that the upper classes use appearances and masks to maintain their social respectability, presenting a facade of innocence and flawlessness
• The play emphasizes the barrier constructed by the upper classes between rich and poor, symbolized by Sheila's metaphor of a "wall" that separates them
• Priestley uses the character of Edna, the maid, to illustrate the oppression and lack of voice experienced by the working class in society
• Eva Smith symbolizes the mistreatment of all lower-class people, with every member of the elite family implicated in the oppression of the lower classes
• The play challenges the values of the upper classes, revealing their prejudices and moral failings, suggesting a future where their wrongs will be exposed