How is generational conflict presented in An Inspector Calls?

How is generational conflict presented in An Inspector Calls?

This generation gap is what often causes disputes between parents and children within families. In An Inspector Calls, J.B. Priestley portrays this conflict between generations through the dissonance between Mr. Birling and their children, Eric and Sheila.

What are the key quotes in An Inspector Calls?

Terms in this set (10)

• “You’re squiffy” – Sheila to Eric (Act 1)
• Mr Birling: “I speak as a hard headed business man” (Act 1)
• Mr Birling: “Unsinkable, completely unsinkable” (Act 1)
• “We really must stop these silly pretences” Sheila to Mrs Birling. (
• “Girls of that class” Mrs Birling to The Inspector (Act 2)

What does Mrs Birling say should happen to the baby’s father?

‘he shouldn’t escape’ Mrs Birling shows her hypocrisy when she asserts that the father of the child should be held responsible and dealt with severely until she realises that the culprit is her son.

What are the three main themes in an inspector calls?

Let’s look at the four main themes:

• social responsibility.
• age.
• gender.
• class.

How would you describe Sybil Birling?

Sybil Birling is an unsympathetic woman. Priestley describes her as a “about fifty, a rather cold woman,” and her husband’s “social superior.” She is described as a rather cold woman and is her husbands social superior.

How does Priestley present Mrs Birling?

Priestley presents Mrs Birling’s cold character by showing her to pretend to be an upstanding member of the community when in fact she is uncaring and lacks compassion. Mrs Birling is a “prominent member” of a charity, and she proudly tells the inspector that they have done a “great deal” to help “deserving cases”.

What does Eva Smith represent in An Inspector Calls?

Priestley uses Eva Smith as a symbol to represent the working class women (and men) who are exploited by capitalists like the Birling family.

Who killed Eva Smith in An Inspector Calls?

After Goole left the Birling household he killed Eva by forcing her to drink disinfectant. She turned up at the infirmary and it was declared a suicide.

Why is Mrs Birling important in an inspector calls?

In the play ‘An Inspector Calls’, J B Priestley presents Mrs Birling as the archetype of middle class social standards. Mrs Birlings’ role in the play is to symbolise the older generation and their unwillingness to change their views. Sybil displays the traditional female role in the house.

Why did Sheila change in Inspector Calls?

However, as the events of the evening unfold, Sheila undergoes a dramatic change. It appears that she, at the beginning of the night was a child and then, towards the end of the night had matured to become an adult with a greater awareness of the world and more knowledgeable and independent.

Who is the most guilty in An Inspector Calls?

Birling as the Most Responsible for the Suicide in J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls. leaves, ‘each of you helped to kill her’.

What is the moral of An Inspector Calls?

Chris Power introduces An Inspector Calls as a morality play that denounces the hypocrisy and callousness of capitalism and argues that a just society can only be achieved if all individuals feel a sense of social responsibility.

What does conflict mean in an Inspector Calls?

Conflict includes disagreements, arguments and battles between characters. Priestley shows that conflict is at the heart of the Birling family by making characters in the same family have opposing views and making them stand up to each other, conveying conflict is present in upper class even though the upper class hid it from society.

What was the conflict between the Birlings and the Inspector?

Priestley creates conflict between the Inspector and the older Birlings by showing that they attempt to belittle the socialist Inspector. Read about conflict between generations in the theme of ‘ Age divide between generations ‘.

What are the themes of an inspector call?

The four other themes of An Inspector Calls discussed on OxNotes are Responsibility , Social Class, Sexism and Gender Differences and Age Divide Between Generations. Click the links to visit those themes. This page discusses conflict between each character.

Who are the older generation in an inspector?

The older generation, Mr Birling and Mrs Birling, and in many ways Gerald Croft, strongly believe in capitalism and caring only for themselves. The parents are unable to admit responsibility. Gerald Croft is caught in the middle, being neither very young nor old.