An Inspector Calls Has Been Described At Different Times As A Sermon And A Lesson In Civics . How Far Can The Play Be Viewed Simply As A Vehicle For Priestley S Moral And Political Views? Essay, Research Paper

John Boynton Priestley, who later wrote the play An Inspector Calls, was Born in Bradford, Yorkshire on 13 September 1894.

Priestley, having grown up into his father s circle of socialist friends, found himself joining in with their political arguments: I was politically minded to some extent but never able to put politics first. These discussions helped influence the values which later shaped Priestley s writing.

Other things also influenced his writing such as the years he spent in the Army between 1914 and 1919.

Priestley strongly believed that that all people are responsible for all others. He believed in a caring community. This is best displayed on page 56 of the play book when Inspector Goole says We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. Another example of this is shown in another of his plays, Thoughts in the Wilderness (1957) when he wrote, A man is a member of a community and the fact that he is a member of a community immensely enlarges his stature and increases his opportunities. During the Second World War, he published many talks at the end of his books. In these he wrote again and again about the importance of responsibility for ourselves and others.

It is my opinion that this display of moral issues strengthens the play. For example, as well as being a mystery thriller, it has been suggested that the play is like a medieval morality play where we watch the overthrow of sin.

Overall, I believe that the play can quite fairly be viewed as a vehicle for Priestley s political and moral views and that to call it a sermon is a perfectly fair statement.

By Bob