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An Inspector Calls - Coggle Diagram
An Inspector Calls
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Key Quotations
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"Unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable" Mr Birling
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Characters
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Mrs Birling
Her cold, uncaring nature leads to her downfall as the Inspector forces her to unknowingly condemn her own son. She also runs an ingenuine charity committee which does not help people, but infact destroy there confidence or ultimately deny them of any help possible, which was the case with Eva Smith.
Eva Smith
Although Eva does not have lines within the play she is considered the driving force and catalyst within the play. She is the sole victim of the Birling family's wrath and represents the utterly helpless working class who struggle to survive just as she has done. Her lack of line is often what stand out most about this pay and it highlights the true boundaries between lower and up class. Also how she was always seemed to be at a disadvantage no matter where she went just because of the class she was born into.
The Inspector
The Inspector arrives whilst the Birling family are celebrating the engagement with an 'impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness'. His role throughout the play is to investigate each family member and expose their selfish actions. He drives the action of the play through this interrogating role, unravelling plot twists and dramatic encounters throughout the play. At the end, Priestley leaves the Inspectors identity up to the audience, and we leave the play whether the Inspector is in fact a mouthpiece for Priestley's views directly.
Gerald
We are introduced to Gerald as being from an upper class background and also have the same views as Mr Birling. He seemed to fill in the spot of a 'perfect son' that Eric never had the capability to do as he agrees with Mr Birling's every word and towards the end of the play he even goes to look for evidence to prove the invalidity of the Inspector and his investigation. Sheila also describes him as 'the lovely fairy prince' which sums up Gerald and the majority of the upper class - pretentious and snobbish. The Birling family which appeared to look like a fairy-tale had a darker background in the play.
Sheila
Sheila is the daughter of Mr Birling and at first she naïve and is infantilised by the audience and Priestley, showcased through dialogue such as 'mummy.' As the play develops, we see her eventually standing her ground and adopting behavioural features of the Inspector . After finding out her life was not as peaceful as she thought, she rises up to the challenge of questioning her own family principals, even when the Inspector has left the Birling's home.
Eric
Eric is first presented as half assertive and half shy throughout the play, and we see this come to life throughout the play. While his is still afraid to directly confront his farther about what devastating issues and problems he creates he still manages to slip in snide comments throughout the play.
Edna
Edna is a mostly voiceless role with little significance in terms of the narrative of the play. However, she is representative of the working class and perhaps how society sees common workers as insignificant within a capitalist society. Her dialogue is largely subservient, such as 'yes' and 'ma'am' which reiterates her servitude and lack of power or status.
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