Key quotations to memorise from An Inspector Calls
The quotations on this page have been chosen because they are useful for methods analysis, which you need for AO2 in the exam. For each quotation we’ll offer several reasons for learning it, with some suggested analysis, though you will need to develop this analysis in your essays and revision notes. If there are other quotations which contain methods that your teacher has suggested you learn, that’s good too. These aren’t intended to replace those - they’re just intended to help you get started.
Act 1
“pink and intimate ... brighter and harder"
Embedded and contextualised example: In the opening stage direction Priestley explains how the lighting should be “pink and intimate” at the start, during the exposition, but should become “brighter and harder” after the Inspector arrives.
Reasons for learning it:
Several methods to analyse - the use of stage directions and lighting in particular, plus the symbolic function of the lighting itself
Initially things are pink and intimate - cosy, pleasant - reflecting the characters’ views of their world, and perhaps the audience’s view - seeing it through rose-tinted spectacles - the ‘good old days’
Inspector shines a bright light on this - reveals the hard truth about the Edwardian period - it was cruel and unjust, especially for the women and the working class
Relevant characters and themes: All characters and themes
“lower costs and higher prices”
Embedded and contextualised example: During the exposition in his conversation with Gerald about the potential merger of Birling and co. and Crofts Limited, Birling claims that it will allow them to have “lower costs and higher prices”.
Reasons for learning it:
Short and easy to learn
Use of antithesis here to emphasise the selfishness and injustice of capitalism - it should be the other way round (lower costs = lower prices) but Birling wants a monopoly - he wants to exploit the merger for more profit - he wants to exploit the poor and needy so he and Gerald (the rich) can get richer
Relevant characters and themes: Birling, Eva Smith, wealth and power, social class, age and the generations
“Oh – it's wonderful! Look – Mummy – isn't it a beauty?”
Embedded and contextualised example: When she receives the engagement ring from Gerald, Sheila is thrilled; she says, “Oh – it's wonderful! Look – Mummy – isn't it a beauty?”
Reasons for learning it:
Several different methods to discuss here
The use of dashes - frequently used in the play to convey emotion - in this case Sheila’s excitement
The exclamation mark adds to this impression, as does the interjection (“Oh”)
Priestley has Sheila address her mother as “Mummy” - shows familiarity and affection - also somewhat childish, reflecting her lack of maturity and worldliness at this point in the play (though this term of address was fairly standard for upper class people at the time)
Relevant characters and themes: Sheila, Gerald, gender, social class, age and the generations
“hard-headed business man”
Embedded and contextualised example: Throughout the exposition, Birling refers to himself repeatedly as a “hard-headed business man”.
Reasons for learning it:
Short and easy to learn
Priestley uses repetition with this phrase - he has Birling say it several times - this is Birling’s signifier, the way he sees himself, his identity
Compound adjective “hard-headed” shows a self-conscious stubbornness - stubbornness as a virtue, as Birling sees it - he won’t be changed, he won’t be persuaded, and he is proud of this
Relevant characters and themes: Birling, blame and responsibility, guilt and shame, wealth and power, social class, age and the generations
“unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”
Embedded and contextualised example: In his big, optimistic speech, just before the Inspector arrives, Birling recounts all the things about the modern world which are, for him, brilliant, including the Titanic, which he calls “unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable”.
Reasons for learning it:
First and foremost there is the dramatic irony that Priestley uses here - the audience would, of course, know the fate of the Titanic, and this conveys Birling’s arrogance and also his foolishness
We have the repetition of the adjective “unsinkable”, the second time with an intensifier (“absolutely”) to really drive home the impression of the dramatic irony
Priestley is also using the Titanic itself symbolically here - it was seen by socialists like Priestley as symbolic of the hubris of the capitalist system - its sinking showed the failure of this system
Relevant characters and themes: Birling, wealth and power, age and the generations
“as if we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive – community and all that nonsense”
Embedded and contextualised example: In his final pompous speech, moments before the arrival of the Inspector, Birling vilifies socialists and socialism, claiming that they see people as “all mixed up together like bees in a hive” which he labels as “community and all that nonsense”.
Reasons for learning it:
Simile of comparing the socialist view to bees in a hive - meant as a criticism (from Birling) but for the audience this arguably shows a very effective society - a better alternative, perhaps
Abstract noun “nonsense” - deliberately extreme - showing Birling’s utter disdain for even the idea of collectivism - again, for the audience, this may be viewed differently - it is both distasteful and faintly ridiculous
Relevant characters and themes: Birling, wealth and power, social class
“massiveness, solidity and purposefulness”
Embedded and contextualised example: When the Inspector first enters the stage, Priestley uses the stage directions to describe the kind of actor who should play him, claiming that he need not be physically big but that he should convey a sense of “massiveness, solidity and purposefulness”.
Reasons for learning it:
It’s short and fairly easy to remember
It’s used in the stage directions, which immediately gives you one method to discuss
You can zoom in to each of the abstract nouns in the list to analyse their meaning:
“massiveness” reflects the fact that the Inspector, and the thing he stands for (Socialism), is big and important;
“solidity” reflects the fact socialism is sturdy and firm, it can be a foundation for change;
“purposefulness” reflects the idea that socialism has a purpose - social progress, a better life for the working class - it is not just an abstract idea or a philosophy.
Relevant characters and themes: The Inspector, wealth and power, social class, the supernatural
“Burnt her inside out”
Embedded and contextualised example: When the Inspector tells the Birlings about the death of Eva Smith he tells them that drinking the disinfectant which caused her death “burnt her inside out”.
Reasons for learning it:
Short and easy to learn
Priestley uses deliberately vivid imagery here - the line is designed to shock the Birlings to emphasise the cruelty of their actions which led to it
Also one of the first signs that the Inspector is not a typical policeman - he’s emotionally invested, not distant and objective
Relevant characters and themes: The Inspector, Eva Smith, blame and responsibility, guilt and shame, wealth and power, social class
“chain of events”
Embedded and contextualised example: While explaining the reasons for his questioning of the entire Birling family, the Inspector describes the events that lead to Eva’s death as a “chain of events”.
Reasons for learning it:
Another short and easy quotation with a method (a metaphor)
The metaphor is not very deep or poetic, but you can analyse it for its central idea that the links in the chain are all connected, and inextricably so - you can’t separate one from the other - there is causation here and the outcome is inevitable
Relevant characters and themes: The Inspector, Eva Smith, any of the characters, blame and responsibility, social class
“(laughs rather hysterically) why – you fool – he knows. Of course he knows … You'll see. You'll see.”
Embedded and contextualised example: At the very end of the first act, Sheila is alone on the stage with Gerald and she “laughs rather hysterically” before calling him a “fool”. She claims that the Inspector “knows” everything, and she finishes by telling Gerald, “You'll see. You'll see.”
Reasons for learning it:
There are several different things you can zoom into with this quotation to give you a bit of detailed methods analysis (something hard to do with Inspector)
The stage direction is used to convey a kind of mania - a sense that Sheila is almost delirious with her growing empowerment - it’s novel and exciting
The noun “fool” is very strong and disrespectful - a dramatic shift from the start of the act - Sheila’s character development (thanks to the Inspector and the light he has shone on the Birlings and their world) has been significant
Repetition of “You’ll see” - adds to the sense of mania created by the stage direction - conveys real certainty on Sheila’s part, especially with the modal verb “will” conveying definitiveness
It is structurally placed at the end of the act - it forms a mini-climax to this part of the rising action, foreshadowing things to come
Relevant characters and themes: Sheila, Gerald, age and the generations, gender, wealth and power, the supernatural
Act 2
“massively taking charge”
Embedded and contextualised example: Following the in-family arguments at the start of Act 2 of the play, the Inspector cuts in, “massively taking charge” of the situation.
Reasons for learning it:
It’s short and easy to memorise
It’s in the stage directions which gives you a method right away
Priestley uses cognates of the adjective “massive” (massive, massiveness, massively) throughout the play to describe the Inspector - he has the power, despite being of a lower social class - he is in charge - and his ideas (socialism, essentially) are “massive” too (important, significant, hard to ignore, etc)
Relevant characters and themes: The Inspector, wealth and power, social class, the supernatural
“(rather wildly, with laugh) No, he's giving us the rope – so that we'll hang ourselves.”
Embedded and contextualised example: During the first part of Act 2, Shelia again interrupts the conversation, “rather wildly” this time, “with [a] laugh”, claiming that the Inspector is “giving [the Birlings] the rope - so that [they’ll] hang [them]selves”.
Reasons for learning it:
A rare metaphor in the play - not terribly poetic but there’s something to analyse here - the idea of punishment (hanging would have been the form of capital punishment at this time) - plus the idea that they will punish each other, foreshadowing the in-fighting and disagreements that will mark the latter stages of the play
Another stage direction conveying Sheila’s almost hysterical joy at her position as wise and powerful, something she was very much not at the beginning of the play
Relevant characters and themes: Sheila, wealth and power, gender, age and the generations
“hard-eyed dough-faced women”
Embedded and contextualised example: During his account of his connection with Eva Smith, Gerald describes his encounters with the women of the town in the Palace Bar, who he describes as “hard-eyed dough-faced women”.
Reasons for learning it:
It’s short and easy to memorise
You can zoom in to the two compound adjectives and discuss the meanings of each
“hard-eyed” conveys the sense that these women have been worn down and hardened by life, their spirits, their souls are hard - they have a kind of courage but one born of suffering
“dough-faced” conveys their physical plight - they are pale and bloated, presumably through malnourishment, drained of blood and of life
Relevant characters and themes: Gerald, Eva Smith, gender, wealth and power, social class
“deserving cases”
Embedded and contextualised example: In her introduction to the work that the Brumley Women’s Charity Organisation do, Mrs Birling says that they aim to help “deserving cases”.
Reasons for learning it:
Extremely easy to memorise
You can zoom into each of the words and discuss the implied meaning
Adjective “deserving” conveys the subjective nature of the BWCO - they get to decide who deserves help - this is not about need but about merit - they have to earn the help in some way
Noun “cases” is dehumanising - they don’t see these women as people but as “cases” - something to solve or to ignore
Relevant characters and themes: Mrs Birling, Eva Smith, gender, blame and responsibility, wealth and power, social class
“Mother, I think it was cruel and vile”
Embedded and contextualised example: Towards the end of Act 2, Sheila interrupts Mrs Birling to give her view of her mother’s treatment of Eva Smith, saying, “Mother, I think it was cruel and vile”.
Reasons for learning it:
Term of address “mother” - a shift from “mummy” used at the start of the play - perhaps conveys Sheila’s new maturity - but, more interestingly, it conveys her emotional distance from her mother - it is far more formal and less intimate - she is becoming her own person in all kinds of ways
Two very emotive adjectives (“cruel and vile”) - convey Sheila’s disgust at her mother’s behaviour - emphasise the growing distance between Sheila and her parents in terms of their values and principles
Relevant characters and themes: Sheila, Mrs Birling, gender, wealth and power, blame and responsibility, age and the generations
Act 3
“I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty"
Embedded and contextualised example: When Eric describes his first encounter with Eva Smith, and his forced entry to her apartment, he claims that he was “in that state when a chap easily turns nasty”.
Reasons for learning it:
Links to many themes and has some methods you can analyse
Demonstrative determiner “that” suggests an expected familiarity from the receivers of this statement - Eric assumes they know what state he means, presumably because it’s sufficiently common with young, wealthy men at this time
Noun phrase “a chap” - Eric generalises the state (and the act that it leads to) and distances himself from it - he becomes “a chap” rather than himself - informality of “chap” is almost trivialising too - plus there are connotations of social class here (“chap” mostly means wealthy, higher class men)
Relevant characters and themes: Eric, Eva Smith, gender, wealth and power, blame and responsibility, guilt and shame, social class
“(nearly at breaking point) Then – you killed her”
Embedded and contextualised example: When Eric learns of the role that his mother played in the death of Eva Smith, he is shocked and angry; “nearly at breaking point”, he says, “Then - you killed her”.
Reasons for learning it:
Stage direction is used to convey the extremity of Eric’s reaction to Eva’s death and his mother’s role in it
Use of dash to convey emotion
Verb “killed” with pronoun “you” as the subject - Eric is holding his mother directly responsible for Eva’s death - her actions did not simply lead to Eva’s death but they caused it directly - she is, in effect, a murderer as far as Eric is concerned - this is a very strong accusation (and, arguably, not entirely fair)
This emotive and highly charged confrontation is positioned at the climax of the play, just before the Inspector’s closing speech
Relevant characters and themes: Eric, Mrs Birling, blame and responsibility, guilt and shame, wealth and power, age and the generations
“as if she was an animal, a thing, not a person”
Embedded and contextualised example: In his closing remarks to the family, the Inspector singles out Eric and his treatment of Eva Smith, claiming that he treated her “as if she was an animal, a thing, not a person”.
Reasons for learning it:
Simile conveying the Inspector’s and, therefore, Priestley’s condemnation of Eric’s treatment of Eva - though he never calls it ‘rape’ (to call it such would be slightly anachronistic), this simile shows how abhorrent Priestley feels this kind of behaviour to be
The imagery suggests that Eric’s treatment was inhumane - that women like Eva were treated as if they were not even human beings, and perhaps not even animals - Priestley settles on “thing” which is arguably even less than “animal”
This is, by some distance, the most critical thing the Inspector says of any of the Birlings in his closing remarks, reflecting the severity with which Priestley views Eric’s behaviour
Relevant characters and themes: Eric, the Inspector, gender, wealth and power, blame and responsibility, guilt and shame, social class
“there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do. We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.”
Embedded and contextualised example: In his final speech before he leaves the stage, the Inspector sums up his message, claiming that there are “millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths … with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do … We don’t live alone,” he argues. “We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other”.
Reasons for learning it:
This is the most poetic and rhetorical section of the entire play - it’s by far the best part to discuss if you want to do some kind of advanced, ‘quotation explosion’-style methods analysis
Double repetition with polysyndeton in “millons and millions and millions” - emphasises the scale of the problem that socialism, according to Priestley, is needed to solve
Lots of plural pronouns used throughout (“us”, “we”) - reflective of a general collectivist mindset - includes not just all the characters but the audience too, who are being addressed here - this is about everyone
Antithesis in pairs of abstract nouns (“hopes and fears”, “suffering and chance of happiness”) - two possibilities, two sides - the good and the bad
Anaphora of “we” at the start of three short sentences - conveys the certainty with which the Inspector (and Priestley) holds these views - these are simply facts - they are the way things are
Metaphor of the body - a whole made of many parts - each plays its part, each necessary for the functioning of the body, etc
There are other methods too, but this will do for now - you get the idea - there’s a lot
Relevant characters and themes: Everything
“fire and blood and anguish”
Embedded and contextualised example: Just before he leaves the stage, the Inspector claims that if the Birlings (and people like them) don’t learn the right lessons from Eva Smith’s death, they will be taught those lessons in “fire and blood and anguish”.
Reasons for learning it:
Short and easy to memorise
Triad of emotive nouns, with polysyndeton for emphasis - each noun can be zoomed into:
“fire” represents the damage to property that war will cause - also evocative of hell
“blood” represents the physical harm done to people, including death
“anguish” represents the psychological harm - this dramatically widens the sphere of influence
Can make AO3 contextual links to both the world wars and to the Russian Revolution of 1917; can also make AO3 contextual links to Christianity
This phrase is repeated by Sheila at the very end of Act 3, so you can use it in that context too
Relevant characters and themes: The Inspector, all the other characters, blame and responsibility, guilt and shame, wealth and power, social class, the supernatural