Priestley presents how morality has been extremely manipulated by the upper-class to device it as a façade to thrive in a spot of wilful blindness to the problems of the Edwardian society. It was comfortably changed and controlled for their own likings which gave birth to exploitation, patriarchy and self-deception, which started plaguing. Priestley wants the audience to be morally endured and re-write the true morality that should be followed in a successful society. Priestley carries didactic message that the wealthy and capitalist classes need to accept this accusation and transform and vote for socialist and a fairer society.
Firstly, Priestley presents that the upper-class loosely follow the morality and it is completely corrupted, making self-deception as an emblem of capitalism. When Mr birling, a construct symbolising stagnant and conventional views about capitalism, states ‘a man has to look after himself – and his family too’ for a successful life, it shows the importance of self – preservation in a capitalist society as they are conscious of the marks they leave in the society of proletariats. The use of the noun ’man’, shows the genderised language, to convey that it is the man in a patriarchal society that has authority and power. upper-class audiences are forced to shed off the façade that they hold up to the harsh plight of the poor. Also, the use of prioritising himself before his ‘family’ and communities shows the intolerance of inclusion by the bourgeoise and that the upper-class will even sacrifice his family to profit. Priestley does this in order to imply to his audience that they will never be supported by the upper class in any wars and will simply be used as a tool for profiteering from war which irritates and grows hatred in post-war audience who lost the loved ones in both world wars. Priestley gives a voice to the voiceless lower class by using a supernatural figure of Inspector Goole as he ’sharply cuts in ‘when birling was expressing his beliefs of self-interest. This is almost like an incantation to prove Mr birling’s speech ill-informed. This shows that the inspector is presented like a scalpel to ‘cut’ into the façade of ignorance to expose their inner corruption in capitalist systems. Priestley warns the audience if a man fails to take care of his surroundings, he will be punished by a spiritual intervention or the oppressed people of a capitalist society if they vote for socialism.
Priestley also presents that the capitalism is functioning with the pillars of the 7 deadly sins, to demonise the capitalist beliefs that deteriorate the society. This can be seen through the character of Gerald when he describes Eva Smith as ‘young and fresh and charming’. This highlights the predatory behaviour that the capitalists hold. This was normalised to the marginalised lower-class audience as they are aware upper class were excused by the society as they can pay and afford for sex and other sexual exploitation. The use of adjective ’fresh’ have connotation of food, something new, something to be possessed and have control over. This shows that the capitalists often objectify women and view as a source of pleasure through subjugation. These adjectives describe her as an object and this literally shows, she was new to prostitution and vulnerable. This illustrates Gerlad’s lust, and the want to consume her showing his gluttony, and the want to control her shows Gerald’s envy for her beauty.
Prestley warns his audience that these activities should be questioned against them and should be morally endured to challenge and collapse the corrupt sense of right and wrong in the capitalists. Priestley perhaps does this in order to urge his audience to rebel against their corrupted morality or detach from upper class’s beliefs system as they are drenched with sins.
Priestley also rejects the false societal norms that prevail in the society that wrap and mask the true morality of the proletariats, and they are victims of capitalist’s false accusation. This can be seen through the symbolic character of Eva smith. When Mrs birling presents her astonishment of Eva’s characteristics when she says, ‘like a girl of that sort will ever refuse money’, it shows the intolerance of the upper-class to accept the reality. The nouns ‘girl’ and ‘sort’ is used as a dysphemism to generalise the working class and label them with whatever qualities, that will never let them climb the social hierarchy. Priestley also critiques their apprehension about charity and money towards the working class as if they have already paid them fairly, they won’t be dependent for help in the first place. Priestley disgusts the idea of charity in the capitalist society as it is simply used to gain pride and status in the society, but when need was necessary the working class were dismissed by biased decision of the upper-class as ‘not deserving’. The rejection of money puts forward the diligence and Chasity of the character that is actively dismissed by Mrs birling. Priestley perhaps portrays Mrs birling’s attitude as a product of her inner guilt, showing the desperate need to eccentricate herself from her wrongdoings and hide her cognitive dissonance. Priestley does this in order to convey the need to exchange emotions for a connection between the classes, thus no more social hierarchy but a social class. Alternately, it can be interpreted that Mrs birling is seeing her place in the society as an elite and condescending thus, feels disgusted associating her place in the rest of the society. Priestley perhaps showing that if capitalists beliefs are not destroyed, every worker will become voiceless just like Eva smith and be trapped in constant exploitation and their identity will never shine through. Also, she is described as ‘burnt inside out’ shows her urgency to cleanse herself from the sexual relationship with Eric shows her temperance. The noun ’out’ have connotation of exhibition. Priestley acts like a teacher-like figure to his audience to teach them to adhere to the qualities of Eva smith as they are the fundamentals of humans in a society which will catalyse the transformation into a fairer, socialist society.
Priestley also staples in the hope for change and the need for the young generation to perceive the moral message and fuel in the transformation. When Eric says ‘why shouldn’t they try for higher wages? ‘, as a counter argument to the statement made by Mr birling ’for lower costs and higher prices’, it tells us, the audience the moral interrogation Eric asks himself and the capitalist society. This repetition of the adjective ‘higher’ also shows the understanding of the younger generation about the notion and ambition for necessary wealth in both classes. This unites both classes(greed) with single necessary need, which is sufficient wealth. Priestley, through the character of Eric, conveys criticism towards the damaging ideology ‘greed is good’ as capitalists hoard wealth more than necessary, leaving the others deprived of necessities. But the description of Eric as ‘Half shy and half assertive’ also conveys the instability and ambiguity of Eric. Priestley does this in order to present Eric as an ordinary person instead of a caricature, making him relatable to the audiences. This dynamic characteristic offers both hope and despair as Priestley wants us the audience to take responsibility in our actions toward the society and vote for socialism for change. Also, Eric’s counter argument can be seen as an implementation of the common enemy effect. Priestley wants us, the audience, who have been traumatized for irresponsible decisions, to be deterred from the capitalist beliefs as it was the single enemy to all the survivors of the war. Priestley wants us to unite against the common enemy, capitalism, and transform into a society where "Industries are built to serve humanity — not to sacrifice it.".
Priestley also suggests that morality that should be reflected on the society are literally Christian beliefs they have been devoted. When the inspector says, ‘we are all members of one body’, it reveals the truth that we are not separated, like by the hierarchies in the society. The noun ‘body’ shows the need for all the organs to work together harmoniously in order to function properly otherwise it will lead into death. This acts as a metaphor of how our actions affect everyone around us. The use of biblical allusion to holy communion through the character of an inspector, it presents the character as God that has arrived in earth. It acts as a warning to the society about rejecting the moral precepts, which emphasise the need for care for each other. But due to the importance the inspector putting towards giving political message, perhaps the construction of the inspector is to device the character as a mouthpiece and a proxy that advocate for strong socialist ideas that Priestley believed. But due to the characterisation of an inspector as a didactic mouthpiece instead of an inspector, presents him as an imaginative character in the mind of all capitalists to warn them about their mistakes and the collective responsibility and guilt they share. Priestley presents the intervention of the inspector as a vision in a precognitive dream to warn them about the atrocities they have caused ad may cause further in future. Priestley does this in order to promise his audience that they could escape the continuous cycle of world war if they voted for a socialist society.