Wealth and Materialism

• Wealth and Materialism


  • Wealth is one of the Birlings' main interests and influences all of their interactions with others
  • Wealth brings each family member power over others and this power seems to make them forget that the poor are human too
  • Priestley uses the Inspector to try and change how the characters and audience feel and act towards the lower classes
• Class system


  • Wealth corrupts people and society as a whole
  • Social hierarchies determined by wealth, alongside Capitalism, lead to materialism (believing money, material possessions, and physical comfort are the most important things in life) and greed
• In a Capitalist class system


  Wealth leads to increasingly more power and success
• Priestley argues that this means people seek out material possessions and money as symbols of their own worth in society</b>
• Consequently, they lack emotional and moral intelligence, and cannot connect with others
• Priestley also presents how those at the bottom of the hierarchy are dehumanised and objectified as a result
• When Priestley wrote the play in 1945, the country had just witnessed two World Wars and the Great Depression
• The economy was struggling, and many people had lost money as well as their homes
• This means his audience would already understand how dangerous it is to rely so much on money
• He encourages them to look out for each other, and to appreciate love and friendship rather than wealth
• Development of the theme

  • Wealth and materialism appear as themes in the play right from the start
  • The setting of the play and the appearances of the characters means the audience would recognise the Birlings as a wealthy family
  • They surround themselves with signs of their money, showing how important it is to them
• Even as the play continues and they learn of the destructive consequences of wealth

  The setting remains the same
• The luxury of their surroundings becomes more intimidating and grotesque

  But the characters can't escape and nor can the audience
• Priestley uses this to show how wealth is such a fixture in society the reality of its role in Eva's death must be confronted
• The continuity of the setting also reflects how the elder Birlings refuse to learn or change their ways
• When the Inspector leaves they can return to the comforts of their money without losing anything
• The Birlings are held accountable for their actions by the Inspector but when he leaves they still have money, which is all they care about
• The Inspector's role


  • To slowly take apart the Birlings' greed and materialism
  • By telling Eva's story and focusing on the motives behind the Birlings' actions, he shows how their greed caused her death
  • With every revelation about each character's involvement in her death, their extravagant surroundings become even more morbid and horrifying
• They are able to live in luxury and comfort while Eva Smith is dead in the Infirmary
• The Setting


  • Priestley sets the play in the Birlings' home which is a physical manifestation of upper class materialism
  • It is a "fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer" with "good solid furniture"
  • The "Champagne glasses", "port", and a "cigar box" are all indications of their excessive wealth
  • The "fairly large" size of the house and the "good" quality of the furniture show the Birlings live in comfort, wanting nothing
  • The adverb "fairly" and adjective "prosperous" suggest they are climbing the social ladder
• While the "substantial and heavily comfortable" home connotes luxury and decadence


  Priestley specifies it is "not cosy and homelike"
• The setting is unwelcoming, and may even intimidate an audience which represents the untouchable position of the rich
• Moreover, as it is not "homelike", Priestley implies the family are missing emotional connection
• Priestley suggests materialism prevents people from finding love and intimacy
• Sheila's engagement ring


  • Sheila's excitement over her engagement ring suggests the physical token of her engagement brings her more joy than the engagement does
  • Her declaration, "Now I really feel engaged," implies a material possession is needed for the engagement to be real
  • The gift of a ring is the thing that connects her to Gerald, rather than love
• Priestley presents the issues of a society that places too much importance on physical possessions
• Mr Birling refused to pay his workers a slightly higher wage because of his greed


  It was too "heavy" a "price" for his business
• Realistically, raising their wages was within his power, and would not have destroyed his business
• In contrast, the "price" Eva was forced to pay was losing her life
• Priestley contrasts Mr Birling's interpretation of a "heavy price" with the "heavy price" Eva experienced to show how greed blinds people to others' needs and humanity
• Priestley suggests that what is in reality of small consequence to the upper classes, who own fortunes, is of huge consequence to the lower classes
• Eva Smith's poverty


  • Priestley suggests the rich think the lower classes' only weakness or hardship is their shortage of money
  • When confronted with Eva's poverty and hardship all three upper class men offer her money
  • It is evident from this that they believe money can solve everything
• By offering her money but still abandoning her they reduce her to an object they can throw money at
• She is dispossessed of her humanity purely because she lacks material possessions
• Through the men's interactions with Eva, Priestley implies capitalism turns people and forgiveness into things that can be bought
• It is evident that the men don't understand what else they can offer Eva, such as love, support, or kindness
• They don't understand that their acts of cruelty or their prejudices also have an impact and are ignorant of social isolation and oppression
• Priestley's audience would learn to value emotional connection and fellowship over wealth