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An Inspector Calls is essentially a vehicle for Priestley to criticise capitalism. Discuss. -- A* - page 4
Keywords: An Inspector Call Priestley capitalism
By georgie1 on 31/12/2009
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 4 of 10 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10has given to Sheila to represent their engagement symbolises that Gerald owns her, again reiterating that he is domineering. When speaking to the Inspector, Gerald says “let’s leave it at that”, showing that he feels uncomfortable when a more authoritative figure is in control of a situation. He is trying to cover up his secret about Eva Smith to avoid public scandal and to look respectable in the public eye: a direct action of a capitalist.
It is apparent to the audience that when the significant capitalist characters are being questioned, their main concerns involve being in control of the situation, representing how they usually work with other people. For example, Mr Birling informs the Inspector that he has made a “nasty mess” of their evening and emphasises this by asking: “haven’t you?”. He later asks the rhetorical question “Is there any reason my wife should answer to you?”, and Mrs Birling asks “What business is it of yours?” and “Why should you hope so?”. These questions could be spoken loudly, verging on shouting, in a commanding manner to show that Mr Birling is demanding and desperate to be in control. By including such a power struggle, JB Priestley presents to the audience an idea that capitalists are confident, and can often be perceived to be arrogant and self-assured. This could possibly be because they are primarily concerned about their public image; Mr Birling describing himself as a “public man”. A reversal in roles also happens when Mrs Birling tries to take over the questioning process by using imperatives such as “have”, “get” and “look”, and “suggests” how the Inspector do his job. She even goes on to tell the Inspector that he is “quite wrong” and “has no power”, showing that she is conceited and undermines that other character’s opinion. She states that she is being “accused”, has done “nothing wrong”, will “accept no blame” and “did nothing I am ashamed of”. Such confident language indicates that she is probably quite pompous. She later says that she “had to know what’s happening” which shows that she does not like not knowing ‘gossip’, and likes to be in control, possible to influence decisions or what is being said. This implies that a capitalist likes to instruct others what to do, and only value themselves, consequently being interpreted by the audience to be a negative attribute to one’s personality.
Good public image
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