An Inspector Calls is essentially a vehicle for Priestley to criticise capitalism. Discuss. -- A* - page 6
Keywords: An Inspector Call Priestley capitalism
By georgie1 on 31/12/2009
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 6 of 10 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
again told that she used her social status to threaten the shop into turning Eva out of her job. It is said that she “compelled” the shopkeepers to discharge Eva Smith. This shows that the Birlings use their public persona to their advantage to gain what they want, no matter the price others have to pay. As a result, the capitalists are portrayed to be selfish and superficial. Mr Birling shows his disapproval of sharing personal stories when he says that one of the characters is “talking about your private affairs”. It is clear that he likes to be public and let the community only see one side of him.
Contrasting to their parents, Sheila and Eric Birling are characters who initially exhibit personalities that are selfish and have been over-indulged, resulting in them being immediately perceived as capitalists. Eric says at one stage that he “threatened to make a row”, to get what he wanted, reiterating this point that he is spoilt. He also refuses to answer a question that would admit his guilt which shows that he is ashamed to admit that he has done wrong, which shows that he can act childishly. Mrs Birling openly states to them that “you’ve been spoilt”, as though she is blaming them for the way they have been raised. Eric says that Eva Smith “treated me as if I was a kid”, and Mrs Birling still refers to them as “children” and Eric as “my boy”, showing that she regards their thoughts and opinions less than her own. Mrs Birling tells Sheila that she does not know “what you’re talking about” and to “just be quiet”, and Mr Birling tells her not to “talk rubbish”, all of these speeches implying to the audience that the two adolescents are immature and entirely dependable upon their parents, despite both being in their twenties. Eric asks “why should I?” to his mother, acting in a childish way and showing that he has had a cushioned upbringing. However, it is clear that Mr and Mrs Birling are naïve and therefore disconnected to their children when the questioning of Sheila and Eric progresses. As it emerges that Eric has been drinking, Mrs Birling claims that he does not “get drunk”, which shows how little she knows about her children’s lives. Sheila has to remind her father that she “is not a child, don’t forget”, which shows that
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