JB Priestley was a socialist and fought for a more equal society. So when he wrote An Inspector Calls at the end of World War II, he wasn't just writing a play. He was trying to change the mentality of post-war Britain. The class of person you belonged to meant everything and climbing the ladder of social status was far more important than helping others or donating to charity. There was no NHS or welfare state and there was a lot of prejudice against you if you worked in a factory for a living. As a socialist, Priestley disagreed with the way the rich treated the poor. On an inspector's call, he almost tells an Aesop's fable or morality play to try and change opinion that the rich had to do to wake up Britain. Arthur Birling is a wealthy factory owner in the early 20th century. He has two adult children and a wife. He is an arrogant man who has little respect for people poorer than him. Priestley shows us this when Arthur says: "The way some people, if these weirdos were talking and writing now, you would think that everyone had to look after everyone, as if we were all mixed together like bees in a hive – a community and all that. » . He clearly considers that the poorest people have nothing to do with him. He is related to Eva because she worked for him. She and other of her employees disagreed with their wages and demanded just over two shillings more per week. Arthur refused to pay them this amount and subsequently fired Eva. This was the first in a series of events that led to Eva's death. Arthur refuses to share or take responsibility for this as he feels he did nothing wrong in sending her away. To be honest, there's not much to like about Arthur. He likes to constantly remind people how important he is and what a "hard-headed, practical businessman" he is. In the 1940s...... middle of paper ...... actually dead (again). He leaves for a mysterious mansion. When the Birlings and Gerald investigate, they learn that he was not a real inspector and that no girls had died in the infirmary. As they celebrate this news, they receive a call telling them that a girl has died and that a detective is on his way to talk to them. Leaving a question for the audience: was the inspector real? I think what Priestley tried to do was very clever. He knew the audience for his play would be upper-class people, exactly the people he was trying to change. It used clever tactics to hook the audience and has a nice twist at the end. By having the younger characters become more morally aware people, I think it kind of reflects the people he was trying to change. Because the younger generations will carry this vision into the future. Works Cited An Inspector Calls by JB Priestly