Essays for everything AIC

Initially - Charming and Perfect Gentleman -- "easy, well bred, man-about-town" -- "Well perhaps this will help to stop it"

Capitalist -- "I do believe you are right sir"

Suspicious - "I've told you" -- "(startled) what?"

Manipulative - "(approching) now listen, darling" "I've told you"

Hero - "Gave me a glance that was nothing more than a cry for help... so i went across"

Villian - "whether she did or not, I dont know" "I didnt feel about her as she felt about me"

Gerald Represents the hipocrisy of the upper classes - how they are meant to be morally upstanding yet he is both a liar and a cheater. He also used Eva for his own intentions.

Gerald doesnt change throughout the play - and is fine as soon as he doesnt think he will get caught for his actions. He offers Sheila the ring back ("What about this ring") as if not getting caught for keeping Eva as his mistress meant there is nothing wrong with it. 

Initial Descripton - intimidating, mysterious, tactful, authoritative, expeienced

Authority - "One person and one line of inquiry at a time"

The inspector's purpose is to be Preistly's mouthpiece and therefore convey his socialist views to the audience - "millions and millions". He is also there to persuade te Birlings and the Audience to take responsibility for their actions. He is also there as he drives the play - by dropping key bits of information ("this girl was going to have a child") at key points and focing the charcacters to admit information

He is mysterious and strange - "Goole" is a homophone for "Ghoul" - supernatural that we know nothing about. He discusses taboo subjects like sex easily. The timing of his entrance is perfect, he talks about thinks that will happen as if he knows them for a fact ("fire and blood and anguish")

He represents capitalist businessmen - "A man has to llok after himself and his family"

He is materialistic and oppourtunistic - "perhaps we may look forward to the time when Crofts and Birlings are .. working together for lower costs and higher prices!"

Please with self and likes the sound of his own voice "i was lord mayor"

Tries to get out of responsibility

Priestly presents Birling as such a stong capitalist sterotype (views, opportunistic, materialistic,vain) so that he can debunk these views and make them seem pompous and stupid - by also making Birling seem so using dramatic irony - (the tintanic thing). He also

Unsure of himself and is not particularly confident - "hald shy and half assertive"

He is overlooked - "just the kind of son in law i always wanted" 

Treated like a child - "Just keep quiet Eric, and dont get excited"

He could represent a young version of Alderman Megarty - forced his way in

He has some skewed morals though because although she wouldnt marry him he stole money for her 

He changes to realise what he did wasnt right even though they wont get caught

Childish/Nieve - "was it an accident?" "Look mummy!"
Becomes her own person and more confident - "Mother - don't you see?"

Is perceptive - "He knows, of course he knows" "well, Gerald?"

Is strongly affected by the Inspector - "He's giving us the rope - so we'll hang ourselves"

Changes - repents her actions and tries to make the others see that just because theyre off the hook doesnt mean they dint do something wrong

Cold - refuses to offer a pregnant woman with no where else to go help

Niave/Ignorant - desperatley tries to keep her pretense of a erfect family and clings on to the idea that Eric's not a drunk

Looks down on the lower classes "Girl of that sort" "giving herself rediculous airs fr a girl in her position"

The characters in the play represent the classes and priestly challengs their views and behaviour in order to challenge the class hierachy

Priestly portrays the UC as having a limited sense of social responsibility for those less well off. They either didnt know (Sheila "Was it an acident?") didnt want to know (MrsB "the girl herself") or didnt care(MrB "lower costs")

He suggests they didnt question the class system because it worked for them, which is the same reason they ignore alcoholism and womanising - its easier if you ignore difficult situations

The birlings think class is all that matters (knighthood) and B thinks his position makes him more important than the inspector. MrsB is head of a group who is supposed to give money to struggling women, but MrsB is only involved for the social status of it

Priestley thought class shouldnt matter and people should be judged on their actions - Eva is expected to be morrally wrong but wont take stolen money.