An Inspector Calls: Context (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Context

Context should inform, but should never dominate, your reading of the play. Any comments on contextual factors must always be linked to the ideas in the play. When exploring the context in which An Inspector Calls was written, you should consider: 

• The contexts in which the text is set

• The contexts in which the text is received

• Its literary context (genre)

Each of the below topics links directly to Priestley’s ideas in An Inspector Calls:

• Capitalism and Socialism 

• Responsibility

• Class

• Gender

Capitalism and socialism

• Within the play, two opposing political, economic and social schools of thought are presented:

  • Capitalism is presented as a system in which abuse and exploitation of the poor and disadvantaged are inevitable

  • Socialism is presented as a system which promotes equality and views society as a whole   

• In 1912, England was governed by a conservative right-wing government where capitalism was the dominant theory of the day:

  • By 1945, a left-wing government had just been elected which advocated more socialist values and ideals:

    • The Labour Party envisaged a society in which all citizens would be free from the fear of poverty

• By setting the play in this period, Priestley aims to show capitalism to be a morally unacceptable political view:

  • Socialism emerged in the 1940s in an attempt to find a more humane economic system than capitalism

• In 1912 workers had little or no rights and were largely unprotected by unions and a developed Welfare State, leaving them vulnerable and subject to exploitation:

  • While social welfare reforms began to evolve in the 1900s in England, it was the introduction of the Welfare State in the 1940s, which provided much greater protection for the social and economic welfare of citizens 

  • World War II had decimated towns and cities in England and issues such as healthcare, housing, education, and employment benefits were viewed as essential policies 

  • By 1945, workers’ rights had been marginally improved:

    • Socialism is depicted as an instrument of the labour movement, making it more responsive to worker’s needs

• Priestley illustrates the vulnerability of workers when Eva is dismissed for her participation in a pay strike:

  • He tries to convey the importance that all workers should be protected from unfair dismissal

• Work in industrial factories in 1912 would have been very difficult and demanding work, often with very poor working conditions: 

  • Having Eva work in a factory makes her character appear even more sympathetic to the audience

Responsibility

• In 1912, little social provision for the poor meant financial assistance became the responsibility of charities:

  • Priestley shows how Eva is forced to apply to Sybil’s charity for help, which meant that the upper classes could decide who was deserving of their assistance

• Priestley depicts the failures of charity in dealing with the problems of poverty: 

  • Priestley attempts to illustrate how unfair the system was and to highlight the need for government intervention

  • Through the Inspector, Priestley argues that members of a society have duties and obligations towards the welfare of others

• In contrast, by 1945 there was a greater desire for social reform:

  • A series of social welfare policies were introduced between 1945-1951, so that the vulnerable in society would be offered some protection

  • The 1942 Beveridge Report advocated a system of social insurance for every citizen regardless of income, for example, the Family Allowances Act 1945, National Health Service Act 1946

• By setting the play in 1912, Priestley is able to convey Eva’s destitution in a bleaker way:

  • If the play had been set in 1945, Eva would have been afforded much more protection under the Welfare State

  • This further highlights the play’s message of the importance of government intervention and collective and social responsibility

Class

• The hierarchical class system was very dominant in Edwardian society

• At the start of the 20th century, British society was broadly divided into three classes: upper, middle class and the working class:

  • After two World Wars, this system was no longer viewed as the only possible societal structure

  • The Great Depression (1929-1939) resulted in economic depression and mass unemployment throughout the world:

    • The majority of British people, especially the working class, demanded social change

• Priestley is concerned to show the social extremes of the class system:

  • Priestley uses the Birlings and Gerald Croft as representations of the upper classes, and Eva as a representation of the working class to highlight the immense differences between them and the unfairness of the system

  • The Birlings’ home and lifestyle are sharply contrasted with descriptions of the workers in Arthur’s factory and Eva’s poverty

• The play is set two years before World War I and was written when World War II ended:

  • By 1945, two world wars had dramatically altered views about class

Gender

• In 1912, women were largely seen to be subservient to men and had significantly fewer rights

• During this period, the suffragette movement campaigned for gender equality for women:

  • It was an increasing time of political agitation for women’s rights

• Priestley demonstrates how women, especially working-class women, could be exploited and abused by those with wealth and power:

  • Both Gerald and Eric abuse their power and status in their relationship with Eva and both men discard her when it suits them

• As a woman, Eva would have been viewed as ‘cheap labour’ and therefore more at risk of being exploited and abused by employers because of her gender:

  • Working-class women would have been one of the cheapest forms of labour available to wealthy business owners like Arthur Birling

• The growing agitation for gender equality is evident through the character of Sheila and she can be viewed as a woman attempting to redefine the role of women at a time when women’s rights were being sought:

  • At the beginning of the play, she plays a typical role within her patriarchal society and is obedient to her father 

  • This can be contrasted to her behaviour as the play develops and she begins to challenge her father and refuses to take back Gerald’s engagement ring 

• In contrast, Sheila uses her position to get another woman fired from her position, during a period when women were fighting to have greater recognition in the workplace:

  • Sheila belongs to a class where women would never be expected to provide for themselves

• Unmarried pregnant women would have been heavily ostracised by society in 1912

• By 1945, there would still have been significant stigma attached to Eva’s pregnancy