An Inspector Calls

• 'I'm not going to be bullied by an inspector or anybody else.'
• 'It wasn't our fault!'
• 'The whole thing is ridiculous!'
• 'It was all so long ago, it doesn’t matter now.'
• "when we met again-not accidentally this time of course" - he is honest about his affair with Eva Smith.
• "I made her take some money to keep her going there" - he tries to look after her.
• "I made her go to Morgan Terrace because I was sorry for her" he is honest about his feelings.
• "I didn't ask for anything in return" he argues that his actions were selfless.
• Gerold redeems himself in Act 2


  By being honest about his involvement with Eva Smith
• Gerold doesn't need to add "when we met again - not accidentally this time of course"


  But he makes it clear that he meant to meet up with her again, the audience appreciate his honesty, as does Sheila
• Gerold tried to look after Eva Smith


  So that she would see him again "I made her take some money to keep her going there"
• Gerold used his wealth to do some good

  He took pity on Eva Smith "I made her go to Morgan Terrace because I was sorry for her"
• Gerold did all of these things selflessly "I didn't ask for anything in return"
• Gerald Croft


  • From an upper class family
  • Confident at the start of the play
  • Evasive when the truth about his affair with Eva Smith comes out
  • Eventually gains respect from Sheila and the audience for being honest about his affair
• Evidence of Gerald's characteristics


  • "Sure to be, unless Eric's been up to something."
  • "All right. I knew her. Let's leave it at that."
  • "The girl saw me looking at her and then gave me a glance that was nothing less than a cry for help."
• Eric Birling


  • Lacking confidence at the start of the play, tries to speak up but is often talked down by his father
  • Can be assertive, even early on he tries to stand up to his father
  • His experience with the Inspector causes him great emotional turmoil, unlike some of the other characters
• Evidence of Eric's characteristics

  • "I don't know-really. Suddenly! felt I just had to laugh."
  • "No, I mean about this girl - Eva Smith. Why shouldn't they try for higher wages? We try for the highest possible prices. And I don't see why she should hove been socked just because she'd o bit more spint than the others."
  • "(bursting out) What's the use of talking about behaving sensibly. You're beginning to pretend now that nothing's really hoppened at all. And I can't see it like that. This girl's still dead, isn't she? Nobody's brought her to life, have they?"
• r Colls
• 3bout to end in 5 minutes
• Naïve


  At the opening of the play she appears to be a little immature and easily led. Her behaviour is childish and she very much does what her parents tell her.
• Assertive


  As the play progresses, Sheila's character develops and she begins to stand up for herself.
• Insightful


  At a number of points, Sheila shows that she can see things that the other characters cannot
• Sheila Birling matured during the play
• Evidence


  • "I'm sorry Daddy actually I was listening"
  • "I tell you whoever that inspector was, it was anything but a joke."
  • "Yes, of course it is That's what I meant when I talked about building up a wall that's sure to be knocked flat. It makes it all harder to bear."
• Sheila, like Eric, allows Priestley to show his opinions on youth. He felt that there was hone in the young people of post-war Britain. He saw them as the ones who would help solve the problems the country had with class, gender and social responsibility. This is seen in how Sheila is deeply affected by Eva's death, she accepts responsibility straightaway and promises to never behave in such a way again. This is not the case with the older characters, Mr and Mrs Birling and even Gerald do not accept responsibility and we do not get the impression that they will change.