An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley – Themes
These are not easy themes to fully understand. Check that you can define each theme correctly.
Give each theme a score out of ten that reflects how important you think each theme is in the play.
Could you
explain what
all these
headings mean
to someone
else?
Mark out of 10
What do you
think is the
most
important
example in the
play?
Which
characters are
involved?
Personal
Responsibility
Social Class
Sex
Discrimination
Age
The Generation
Gap
The
Supernatural?
Inspector
Goole?
Time
Truth and Lies
/10
/10
/10
/10
/10
/10
/10
Themes – Responsibility - An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley
Characters
Arthur Birling
Sybil Birling
Sheila Birling
Gerald Croft
Eric Birling
Eva Smith
The role of Inspector
Goole dealing with
responsibility.
Who is the person most
responsible for the
death of Eva Smith?
Write your comments about each character and how this theme is reflected in what they
say and in what they do.
Themes- Social Class - An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley
Characters
Arthur Birling
Sybil Birling
Sheila Birling
Gerald Croft
Eric Birling
Eva Smith
The role of Inspector
Goole dealing with Social
Class.
Who is the person most
responsible for the
death of Eva Smith?
Write your comments about each character and how this theme is reflected in what they
say and in what they do.
Themes – Sex Discrimimation - An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley
Characters
Arthur Birling
Sybil Birling
Sheila Birling
Gerald Croft
Eric Birling
Eva Smith
The role of Inspector
Goole dealing with the
two sexes.
Who is the person most
responsible for the
death of Eva Smith?
Write your comments about each character and how this theme is reflected in what they
say and in what they do.
Themes – The Generation Gap - An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley
Characters
Arthur Birling
Sybil Birling
Sheila Birling
Gerald Croft
Eric Birling
Eva Smith
The role of Inspector
Goole dealing with the
two generations.
Who is the person most
responsible for the
death of Eva Smith?
Write your comments about each character and how this theme is reflected in what they
say and in what they do.
Themes – The Supernatural - An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley
Characters
Arthur Birling
Sybil Birling
Sheila Birling
Gerald Croft
Eric Birling
Eva Smith
Who is Inspector Goole?
Why has he been given
this name?
Is Inspector Goole an
effective character?
Give reasons for your
views.
Write your comments about each character and how this theme is reflected in what they
say and in what they do.
Themes - Time - An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley
Characters
Arthur Birling
Sybil Birling
Sheila Birling
Gerald Croft
Eric Birling
Eva Smith
The role of Inspector
Goole dealing with the
time element?
How does time
contribute to thedeath
of Eva Smith?
Write your comments about each character and how this theme is reflected in what they
say and in what they do.
Themes – Truth and Lies - An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley
Characters
Arthur Birling
Sybil Birling
Sheila Birling
Gerald Croft
Eric Birling
Eva Smith
The role of Inspector
Goole dealing with truth
and lies.
Do you think that he is
an effective police
officer?
Write your comments about each character and how this theme is reflected in what they
say and in what they do.