Answer:
J.B. Priestley challenges existing hierarchies of class and gender in An Inspector Calls in several ways.
Class
- The Inspector exposes the hypocrisy of the Birlings and their friends, who claim to be pillars of the community but are responsible for the death of Eva Smith.
- The Inspector shows how the class system allows the wealthy to exploit the poor, and how the poor are often blamed for their misfortunes.
- The Inspector's final speech calls for a more just society, where everyone is treated with respect, regardless of their social class.
Gender
- The Inspector challenges the way that women are often treated as objects or commodities.
- He shows how women are often blamed for their misfortunes, and how they are denied opportunities because of their gender.
- The Inspector's final speech calls for a more equal society, where women are treated with the same respect as men.
In both cases, Priestley uses the Inspector as a mouthpiece to challenge the existing hierarchies of class and gender. The Inspector is a figure of authority, and his words carry weight. He can expose the hypocrisy of the Birlings and their friends and challenge the way that women are often treated.
Priestley's challenge to the existing hierarchies of class and gender is still relevant today. We still live in a society where class and gender inequality exist. Priestley's play can help us to see these inequalities, and to challenge them.