An Inspector Calls Generation Divide Analysis

Difference In Generations
An Inspector Calls

‘An Inspector Calls’ is a play set in 1912 by Mr. J. B. Priestly just before world war 1. Britain was drastically different from the post World War 2 Britain as the nation was very capitalist and there was a bigger separation in the social classes. Aristocrats, such as Mr. Birling would never mix with people of lower social standing. This was also before the win of Labour in 1945 and the creation of the welfare-state(NHS); which is the time of when the play was first shown. In this essay I will be focusing on the characters of Eric and Mr. Birling and seeing the decisions they make and how this is affected by the generation divide. Eric being the younger generation and Birling being the old.
When we first meet Eric at the start of the play; which is when the family are celebrating the engagement of Sheila and Gerald which is a lucrative decision for both families, he is drunk and “guffaws” at his sisters optimism. Priestly portrays him as an immature character, totally not in control of
Here Priestly is trying to emphasise the importance of the class system and the power it brings. Which is why he was trying to he was telling Gerald that he had “a very good chance of knighthood” because Birling is well aware the Crofts are of higher social standing amplifying Birling’s and the older generations establishment views. On the other hand Eric was on the side of the workers, “Why shouldn’t they try for higher wages?” clearly defying his father. Priestly manipulates Eric to act as the audience in this scene standing up for the workers. Birling does not understand he is in the wrong which shows he is not very sympathetic to the lower class, as seen in his treatment towards Eva