an inspector calls old vs young essay

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Exploring Generational Conflict in "An Inspector Calls"

Categories: An Inspector Calls

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Published: Aug 31, 2023

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Character analysis: the older generation, character analysis: the younger generation, generational divide in values and beliefs, impact of inspector goole's interrogation, evolution of character perspectives, social commentary through generational lens, family dynamics and generational impact, resolution and implications, conclusion: generational divide as a catalyst for change.

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Example Essay: Age

How does Priestley explore the difference in attitudes between older and younger generations in An Inspector Calls?

‘An Inspector Calls’ is about responsibility. Priestley purposely contrasts the responsibility of the younger generation and the irresponsibility of the older generation to suggest the younger generation are the hope for the future.

Priestley presents the attitude of older characters through the character of Arthur Birling. Before the Inspector arrives, Arthur Birling boasts to Gerald and Eric that ‘a man has to mind his own business, look after himself and his own’. Arthur Birling appears proud of his selfish business model. The use of the words ‘his’ and ‘himself’ shows that Birling only wants to protect his own interests and does not take responsibility for his workers. Priestley also has him state ‘I refused of course’ which demonstrates that Birling is proud that he refused his workers a pay rise. The words ‘of course’ suggest that Arthur Birling believes it was an obvious decision and that he acted in the right way. Priestley makes clear that Arthur Birling accepts no blame for his actions. Additionally, he conveys that Arthur Birling is more concerned about his own reputation by having him offer the inspector ‘thousands’. Priestley demonstrates that Birling has lots of money but still refuses to give his workers a pay rise which indicates that he only uses his money for selfish reasons. Priestley could have been criticising the selfish attitudes of the wealthy.

Priestley also presents the attitude of older characters through the character of Sybil Birling.. When questioned by the Inspector, Sybil states that she was ‘perfectly justified’. The word ‘perfectly’ suggests that she feels she did absolutely nothing wrong and is surprised to even be questioned about her actions. Priestley has Sybil say the word ‘justified’ more than once, to emphasise how right she feels she was in denying help to Eva Smith. Priestley also presents Sybil as prejudiced when she describes Eva Smith as one of many ‘girls of that class’. The words ‘that class’ conveys Sybil looks down on the working class and believes they are all bad people. Perhaps Priestley put Sybil in charge of a charity in order to criticise wealthy people who used charities to make themselves look good rather than helping the poor.

Priestley presents the difference between older and younger characters through the character of Sheila. It is clear that, before the Inspector’s arrival, Sheila is immature and selfish. She is extremely ‘pleased’ with herself at the start of the play because she is engaged. When the Inspector arrives, Sheila takes responsibility for her actions and admits she had Eva Smith fired. However, when the Inspector questions Sheila, Sheila goes as far as to say ‘I started it’. Priestley makes clear that Shiela immediately accepts responsibility, unlike her father, who was the one who started it by refusing to give Eva a pay rise. Priestley contrasts Sheila with Sybil, who says ‘I was perfectly justified’ and Arthur, who says ‘I can’t accept any responsibility’. Whereas Sheila, a guilty character, acknowledges her mistakes, Arthur and Sybil refuse to admit that they did anything wrong. Through Sheila’s character, Priestley suggests the younger generation are more responsible and will bring change to society.

Priestley also presents the difference between older and younger characters through the character of Eric. When questioned by the Inspector, Priestley makes clear Eric feels guilty by having him describe his actions as ‘hellish’. The word ‘hellish’ shows Eric regrets his actions and takes responsibility. Priestley also presents Eric as responsible when he has him say ‘you’re beginning to pretend that nothing really happened’. These words show Eric is angry with his parents because unlike him they will not take responsibility. Priestley contrasts Eric, a guilty and ashamed man, with Sybil, who says to the inspector ‘go and look for the father of the child’. Priestley’s use of dramatic irony when Sybil says these words reveals how little Sybil understands about her son’s actions. Priestley uses Eric to contrast the older generation because he realises that he should still feel guilty but his parents are happy to forget their actions.

In ‘An Inspector Calls’, Priestley exposes the lack of responsibility among the middle and upper classes and offers a cry for change, commanding his 1945 audience to show greater compassion for the working classes and promote greater social responsibility in British society. Priestley uses the contrast between older and younger characters in the play to reveal the chasm between traditional classist attitudes and more progressive socialist ideals, hoping that the transformation of his younger characters will propel his audience on the same trajectory and build a fairer, more equal society for all.

Priestley uses the character of Arthur Birling to exhibit the selfish, capitalist attitudes of many wealthy businessmen in the 1900s. Before the Inspector arrives, Arthur Birling boasts to Gerald and Eric that ‘a man has to mind his own business, look after himself and his own’. Priestley’s repetition of the words ‘his’ and ‘himself’ emphasise how much Arthur Birling protects his own interests, and how little responsibility he takes for others outside of his own family. This becomes even clearer when Arthur Birling states ‘I refused, of course’ in response to the Inspector’s questions about Eva Smith. Birling ‘refused’ to give a very small pay rise to his workers because he is more interested in his own profits than their welfare. The words ‘of course’ suggest that Arthur Birling is arrogant, and is surprised to even be questioned about his actions, which he clearly feels were justified. Priestley uses the Inspector’s arrival to challenge the way the Birlings behaved. While some of the characters respond well to the Inspector’s questioning, Arthur Birling accepts no blame for his part in Eva Smith’s death. He is more concerned about his own reputation and tries to pay off the Inspector, offering ‘thousands’ if the Inspector will keep quiet about his involvement. The fact that Birling can afford ‘thousands’, yet ‘refused’ a small pay rise to his workers, demonstrates his lack of responsibility for others. Priestley could have been criticising capitalist values through presenting Arthur Birling in this way.

Priestley’s presentation of Sybil Birling as prejudiced and unsympathetic reveals the ineffectiveness of private charities as a means of support and welfare for the working classes in 1912. When questioned by the Inspector about why she influenced others in her charitable organisation to refuse help to Eva Smith, Sybil states that she was ‘perfectly justified’. The word ‘perfectly’, a bit like the words ‘of course’ when Arthur Birling explains himself, suggest that she feels she did absolutely nothing wrong and is surprised to even be questioned about her actions. Priestley has Sybil say the word ‘justified’ more than once, to emphasise how right she feels she was in denying help to Eva Smith. It is clear that, although Sybil should be always looking to help others, she is too judgemental to offer help to the working classes. She describes Eva Smith as one of many ‘girls of that class’. The words ‘that class’ have a very snobbish tone, suggesting that Sybil Birling sees herself as superior and looks down on the working classes. It is clear that she thinks the working classes are not deserving of help and should accept responsibility for the trouble they find themselves in. This is highly hypocritical, given that she is supposed to be working for an organisation that will help them. Priestley could have deliberately put Sybil in charge of a charity in order to criticise private organisations run by wealthy individuals, who were less interested in the people they were helping, and more interested in how it made them look. Perhaps he was proposing that the only way people would be able to get the help they needed was through government run organisations, such as the NHS, which was established in the same year that he wrote the play.

Priestley contrasts Sybil and Arthur’s unsympathetic attitudes with Sheila’s guilt. It is clear that, before the Inspector’s arrival, Sheila is immature and selfish. She is extremely ‘pleased’ with herself at the start of the play because she is engaged to a respectable gentleman, and the entire family are celebrating her engagement. When the Inspector arrives, Sheila is forced to face up to the fact that she selfishly had Eva Smith fired from her job at Milwards because she was jealous of her good looks. It is clear, therefore, that Sheila had quite willingingly misused her parents’ account at Milwards to get what she wanted. However, when the Inspector questions Sheila, Sheila goes as far as to say ‘I started it’. The audience knows, in fact, that it was Arthur Birling who started it but, unlike Sheila, Arthur Birling feels no sympathy and no guilt. Through Sheila’s character, Priestley offers hope to his audience that the younger generation will be more socially responsible, and will take actions that benefit others.

Priestley contrasts Arthur and Sybil’s double standards with Eric’s guilt. When the family learn that Eric is the father of Eva Smith’s unborn child, both parents are shocked; they could never have imagined that their son would have got himself involved with a working class girl in this way. However, as soon as they learn from Gerald that the Inspector isn’t real, they are happy to return to the way things were, feeling confident in the knowledge that Eric’s actions won’t damage their reputation. In this sense, they display double standards. Arthur Birling was highly critical of Eva Smith for stepping out of line in asking for a pay rise, yet seems happy to ignore and forget the irresponsible behaviour of his son. Sybil looks down on ‘girls of that class’ for getting themselves into difficult situations, yet is also happy to return to the celebratory mood in spite of the fact that it was her own son who contributed to Eva Smith’s situation. Eric, on the other hand, feels terrible guilt for his actions. When questioned by the Inspector, he describes the circumstances in which he met Eva Smith as ‘hellish’. It is clear that he regrets drinking too much and forcing himself upon her. He cannot believe it when his parents are prepared to go back to the way things were, accusing them of ‘beginning to pretend now that nothing really happened at all’. Priestley uses Eric’s confrontational attitude to highlight the extreme difference in the thoughts and behaviour of the older and younger characters and to suggest that the younger generation will need to be forceful in order to change the bad habits of the older generation.

Priestley challenges traditional age roles in the play. In 1912, it would have been expected that young people respected and obeyed their elders. By the end of the play, however, Sheila and Eric begin to challenge their parents’ values, giving hope that society can change for the better. The Inspector has activated their conscience and, through displaying this, Priestley hopes to activate his audience’s conscience too. Perhaps he hoped the audience would leave feeling proud that a new socialist Labour party had been voted in earlier that year, and were set to make changes that would create greater equality for all.

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Conflict in An Inspector Calls: Grade 9 Essay on Older vs Younger Generation & Social Responsibility

Megan Collins

@megancollins

71 Followers

An Inspector Calls: Exploring Conflict and Social Responsibility

J.B. Priestley's "An Inspector Calls" is a powerful critique of capitalism and social inequality in pre-war Britain. The play centers on the affluent Birling family and their confrontation with Inspector Goole, who reveals their collective responsibility for a young woman's suicide. Through dramatic techniques and character development, Priestley explores the conflict between individual selfishness and social responsibility.

Conflict in An Inspector Calls : A Deep Dive

J.B. Priestley's "An Inspector Calls" is a masterful exploration of conflict in An Inspector Calls , particularly between the older and younger generations and their views on social responsibility. Set in 1912 but written in 1945, the play serves as a poignant critique of capitalism and social inequalities in pre-war Britain.

The story revolves around the wealthy Birling family in the fictional town of Brumley. Their comfortable lives are disrupted by the arrival of Inspector Goole, who investigates their connections to a young woman named Eva Smith, who has committed suicide. Through this investigation, Priestley unveils the stark contrast between those who accept social responsibility and those who reject it.

Highlight : The play's central conflict lies in the clash between individual self-interest and collective social responsibility.

Priestley employs several dramatic techniques to develop this conflict:

Inspector Goole as a Mouthpiece : The playwright uses Inspector Goole to convey his own views on social responsibility. This is particularly evident in the Inspector's final speech, which serves as a powerful call to action for both the characters and the audience.

Quote : "We do not live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other."

Contrasting Characters : Priestley juxtaposes characters like Mr. Birling, who embodies capitalist selfishness, with the Inspector, who represents social conscience. This contrast highlights the central conflict of the play.

Character Development : The playwright shows how the conflict affects and changes characters, particularly the younger generation. Sheila Birling's transformation from a spoiled girl to a socially aware young woman exemplifies this.

Example : Sheila's statement, "But they're not cheap labour - they're people," shows her growing awareness of social responsibility.

Imagery and Language : Priestley uses vivid imagery and carefully chosen language to emphasize his themes. For instance, he compares society to a human body, underlining the interconnectedness of all people.

Dramatic Irony : The playwright employs dramatic irony, particularly in Mr. Birling's speeches about the unsinkability of the Titanic and the impossibility of war, to undermine the older generation's complacency.

Vocabulary : Polemical - A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.

Through these techniques, Priestley crafts a compelling narrative that explores the conflict in An Inspector Calls quotes and challenges the audience to consider their own role in society. The play remains relevant today, continuing to provoke thought and discussion about social responsibility and the consequences of our actions on others.

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Older vs younger generation essay

English literature, sixth form (a levels), king edward vi handsworth school - birmingham.

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Priestley’s enigmatic morality play “An inspector Calls”, explores the differences between the older and younger generations. The contrast between the two (the younger as being more

optimistic and willing to embrace change) – the older as more selfish, stubborn and ignorant

is displayed most clearly in the characters of Sheila, Mrs Birling and Mr Birling, and is

crucial to understanding one of the writer’s key messages that in order to build a better

society, we must look to the younger generation (symbolised by Sheila) in order to get rid of the cloud of ignorance and violence which lead to two devastating world wars and the

suffering of millions under a selfish capitalist system that benefitted very few.

In the exposition of “An inspector calls”, we are given valuable insights into the differences between Sheila’s and Mrs Birling’s characters. Priestley uses the character of Sheila to show how younger generation in general, can change their way of thinking and form their own ideas about class, society and responsibility unlike the older generation who have a more stubborn way of thinking.

At the start of the play, Sheila (a representation of the younger generation) is shown as a young naive girl who is dominated by her parents and Gerald. When Gerald proposes to her she exclaims in an excited manner “Oh- Gerald – you’ve got it- is it the one you wanted me to have?” This gives the audience the impression that Sheila is controlled by the men in her life and easily excited. She is a stereotypical young, giddy girl. This stage direction prior to this line “excited”, highlights her childish nature and is further exemplified in the use of the hyphens; these show the natural pauses in speech when someone is so excited they are almost lost for words. Priestley uses the pronoun “you” to highlight the notion that women were the property of men as it implies that Sheila actually didn’t have a say in her ring but has just accepted the one that Gerald wanted her to have. Women at the time were expected to get married, look after the home and have children so it would be understandable that they would have no say in what their husband wanted. For a modern audience, this would be an absurd idea as males and females now have equal rights and would not be seen as the other’s property.

When the inspector arrives, Sheila begins to change and become more serious and accountable. When the inspector turns the investigation to Sheila and reveals the photo of Eva Smith, “she looks closely as recognised it with a little cry.” This suggests that Sheila feels instant guilt at seeing this photo and is moved emotionally. This reveals to the audience that Sheila has the capacity to be both shallow and serious and gives us a sense that she does have the ability to feel remorse as well as the self-involved excitement she demonstrates at the beginning.

The “little cry”, shows that Sheila has an impulsive reaction to the photo, thus revealing her compassion for the loss of Eva’s life. The adjective “little”, could imply that Eva is trying to

remain brave but is struggling to hide her true feelings. This sets her apart from her parents who are calmer and stoic in their responses, instantly denying their involvement and failing to accept responsibility. Priestley creates a contrast between the older Birling’s responses with that of Sheila to give the audience an insight into how Sheila is ultimately a more moral person than her mum and dad. Despite being born into a capitalist family and living a sheltered life, she cannot help feeling responsibility for others.

Sheila’s character, a representation of the flexible younger generation, heavily contrasts with Mrs Birling who is an older woman unwilling to change and poisoned by the capitalised views at the time. This contrast is highlighted in Act one where Mrs Birling hardly speaks and when she does she offers rebukes and criticisms, confirming her status as a “cold woman”. The adjective ‘cold’ implies that she lacks sympathy, especially with those below her; this could foreshadow the events later in the play. This allows the audience to perceive Mrs Birling in a negative way, perhaps JB Priestley did this specifically for the audience to feel disgusted by her capitalist views which match that of the older generation in general at the time. On the other hand, we see Sheila’s optimism and enjoyment of life in the stage direction: “very pleased with life and rather excited”. Here, the adjectives “pleased” and “excited” convey Sheila’s contentedness and hope; unlike Eva’s her life has been pleasant and easy and she looks forward to the future continuing in much the same way.

Priestley also utilised the character of Mr Birling, a stubborn capitalist and selfish man, in order to represent the stubborn, capitalist behaviours of the older generation. Mr Birling describes himself as a “hard headed practical man of business” in act 1. The adjective “hard”, suggests how at the time the elder generation’s capitalist views were unbreakable, stubborn and they were unwilling to accept new ideas. Alternatively, “hard”, can represent the heart and feelings of Mr Birling and it shows how he lacks emotion for others, highlighting how genuinely selfish and careless he is about others. Furthermore, “practical”, creates the impression that Mr Birling does not think morally, yet practically and he only seems to focus on what will benefit him and his business. This relates to further on in act 1 where he refused to increase Eva Smith’s pay. With lack of lawful minimum wage being put in place, Mr Birling’s selfish behaviours meant that he could set whatever wages he saw would be beneficial towards him which was a business policy of “lower costs”.

By referencing lower wages, Priestley is demonstrating the consequences of what happens in a society where there are no legal requirements related to pay, and the decisions are left up to the conscience of selfish men like Mr Birling. This contrasts with Sheila (a representation of the younger generation who are more willing to change), as she is more sympathetic towards Eva Smith and felt guilty upon first looking at her photograph

In conclusion, Priestley demonstrates that the younger generation were more open to change and less attached to the capitalist society at the time in comparison to the older

generation, who were selfish, stubborn and shared the capitalist mindset which was

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Subject : English Literature

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