Explore ways in which Priestly presents women in “An Inspector Calls”
‘An Inspector calls’ is a play set in 1912 and written in 1945. The starting scene is the Birling family and Gerald Croft. The Birling family are celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling, the eldest daughter, and Gerald Croft. They are later interrupted by someone who claims to be a Police Inspector. The Inspector says that a girl has drunk very strong disinfectant and died in the infirmary two hours ago. He later says that they all have a connection with this girl, Eva Smith. Mr Birling fired her from her job; Sheila was jealous of Eva so got her fired from her next job; Gerald helped her, but then left her when it suited him; Mrs Birling refused to help her as she used …show more content…
This immediately shows us that she fixated by social class, she wouldn’t care for a woman like Eva. She doesn’t admit that she’s wrong in anyway. “I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it…” Even at the end of the play when she has been partly responsible for killing her grandchild she still takes no blame for it. She also uses her wealthy marriage as a way to get past sticky situations. When she was talking to the Inspector she said “my husband is lord mayor”. As if he should be talking to them differently. She thinks that girls in the lower class are pointless and would do anything for money ‘girls of that sort would never refuse money’, but she married Mr Birling for his …show more content…
She got fired from two jobs, Mr Birling’s Factories and Milwards. She got fired from Mr Birling’s factory because she was trying to speak for the factory about their payment. “She’d had a lot to say – far too much – so she had to go.” She got fired from her job at Milwards because Sheila was jealous of Eva’s beauty. “When I was looking in the mirror I caught sight of her smiling at the assistant, and I was furious with her. I’d been in a temper anyhow”. She later demanded that she was fired from Millwards or they would never go back. After she was fired she met Gerald in the Palace bar, he gave her a place to live for a few months and gave her money. Unlike her relationship with Eric, he didn’t demand anything. Eric used Eva Smith after a drunk night at the palace bar and he made Eva pregnant, but Eric didn’t know he did
‘An Inspector calls’ is a play set in 1912 and written in 1945. The starting scene is the Birling family and Gerald Croft. The Birling family are celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling, the eldest daughter, and Gerald Croft. They are later interrupted by someone who claims to be a Police Inspector. The Inspector says that a girl has drunk very strong disinfectant and died in the infirmary two hours ago. He later says that they all have a connection with this girl, Eva Smith. Mr Birling fired her from her job; Sheila was jealous of Eva so got her fired from her next job; Gerald helped her, but then left her when it suited him; Mrs Birling refused to help her as she used …show more content…
This immediately shows us that she fixated by social class, she wouldn’t care for a woman like Eva. She doesn’t admit that she’s wrong in anyway. “I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it…” Even at the end of the play when she has been partly responsible for killing her grandchild she still takes no blame for it. She also uses her wealthy marriage as a way to get past sticky situations. When she was talking to the Inspector she said “my husband is lord mayor”. As if he should be talking to them differently. She thinks that girls in the lower class are pointless and would do anything for money ‘girls of that sort would never refuse money’, but she married Mr Birling for his …show more content…
She got fired from two jobs, Mr Birling’s Factories and Milwards. She got fired from Mr Birling’s factory because she was trying to speak for the factory about their payment. “She’d had a lot to say – far too much – so she had to go.” She got fired from her job at Milwards because Sheila was jealous of Eva’s beauty. “When I was looking in the mirror I caught sight of her smiling at the assistant, and I was furious with her. I’d been in a temper anyhow”. She later demanded that she was fired from Millwards or they would never go back. After she was fired she met Gerald in the Palace bar, he gave her a place to live for a few months and gave her money. Unlike her relationship with Eric, he didn’t demand anything. Eric used Eva Smith after a drunk night at the palace bar and he made Eva pregnant, but Eric didn’t know he did