‘The success of ‘An Inspector Calls’ lies not only in the fact that it is full of mystery and suspense, but also in its biting social criticism.’ Discuss.
'The success of 'An Inspector Calls' lies not only in the fact that it is full of mystery and suspense, but also in its biting social criticism.' Discuss.
'An Inspector Calls' was written in 1945 by J.B. Priestley although it is set in the spring of 1912. This coursework will hope to address issues raised in the play concerning the social structure of the time and how this has been relayed in the play, it hopes to discuss techniques used by Priestley to create dramatic effect and how various themes and messages are brought about by his writing. It hopes to analyse how Priestley feels about the upper classes and there attitudes in the early 20th century and how he is trying to send a message to members of the upper class about their actions and how they can effect other people.
The main characters are that of the Birling family and the inspector. Arthur Birling is a wealthy man in the upper classes who runs his own manufacturing company. As well as being rather pompous he is described by Priestley as 'portentous' due to his views of the future. He is in his middle fifties and is also described as having 'unpolished' speech. Arthur's wife is Sybil Birling who is said to be of a similar age to her husband and is described as being 'cold' and 'austere'. Another interesting point about her is that she is in a superior social position to her husband, this is noticeable at a few points during the play in the way she speaks to him; after his portentous speech in Act 1 Sybil Birling comes out with 'Arthur!' Mr. Birling stops his speech and turns his attention to his wife, at this time it is unlikely a women would have talked to his wife in such a way. Shelia Birling is their daughter in her middle twenties and is obviously pleased with life, as she has just got engaged to Gerald Croft who is near 30 years old and is very confident about himself. Mr. and Mrs. Birling's son Eric is in his early twenties and unlike Gerald or his sister he never seems sure of himself and is said to be 'not quite at ease'. Finally Inspector Goole is on stage throughout much of the play and we are told he is in his fifties. He dresses in a plain dark suit and hat to give feeling of authority and to make both the characters and the audience feel uneasy about his presence. Priestley tells us his appearance gives him an 'impression of massiveness'. When the play begins all characters except the inspector are seated at a table after having enjoyed a meal to celebrate the engagement of Sheila and Gerald, the maid; Edna, has just cleared the table and is setting out the port and cigars as the curtain goes up.
Throughout the play the three unities of time, place and action are used to great effect by Priestley. Firstly, the play is all in 'real-time', at no point in the play do you jump in time and as a member of the audience you feel you are watching the drama of one evening in a 1912 household. Priestley benefits from this as it makes the audience feel much more involved with the play and when watching it you know you aren't missing out on anything and you can share in there shock that the inspector isn't real or that Eric had fathered Eva Smith's child, for example. In terms of the place and location of the play, everything takes place in the same room of the Birling's house, there is only one set and this too is a device used by Priestley. The audience get to know the room and can connect with it well, it also adds to the feeling that you really are just watching an evening in a 1912's house unfold before your eyes without the normal 'special-effects', lighting and scene changes that you might normally get on stage or on screen, giving this play a slightly unique quality. In terms of action Presley's method of ending and beginning the acts of this play is interesting. As already mentioned the play is in real-time and so each act follows on from exactly the same point that the last one ended so Priestley instructs the cast to freeze at the end of each act at points of particular excitement to create a strong feeling of suspense, then at the start of the next scene the suspense is relieved by the continuation of the play. For example, at the end of Act III Mrs. Birling has just learnt that Eric fathered Eva Smith's child and just as he walks in and you expect Mrs. Birling to become furious with him the curtain falls making you wait a few minutes to find out what happens. Priestley benefits from this in that he keeps people interested and always wanting to know what path the story of the play will take. Between acts there may be an interval or a curtain-down for a period of time, this entices the audience to really think about the play and what will happen, maybe even discuss it with those around them in the theatre. All in all these devices are all used to bring the play more to life and involve the audience in a way so that they feel concerned for characters and feel emotion in the same way that the characters are meant to.
At the start of the play the mood is very relaxed, the family are celebrating the engagement of Sheila and Gerald, the audience feel at ease with what is taking place on stage and the world of the Birling's at this stage seems trouble free, of course - this soon changes. Mr. Birling wants to make a good impression on the new member of the family, Gerald; in the opening lines of the play Mr. Birling points out that the port they are having is the same as the port that Gerald's father buys from the merchant. We are told that the merchant informed Mr. Birling of this similarity but it is obvious he asked which port Gerald's father bought and has used this to impress Gerald, this may be a way in which Mr. Birling is trying to 'climb the social ladder' to one on a par with the Croft family and his wife. By writing Priestley is making a social comment that Birling is prepared to go out of his way and go to quite long lengths to get into the higher classes, an example of how important class is to Mr. Birling and other men in a similar position to his at this time.
Another sign that the feel of the play is becoming a little tenser is the way in which Sheila reacts to comments from Gerald about how long he has been trying to get into the family. Gerald tries to provoke a response from Sheila in the way he goes on at her, 'I have been trying long enough, haven't I? (As she does not reply, with more instance) Haven't I? You know I have.' Even then, Mrs. Birling has to reply before Sheila eventually comes back with what is described as a 'half serious, half playful' comment that she agrees with Gerald but points out a time the previous summer when they never came near each other. This is an unusual thing to say when celebrating your engagement and even when Gerald defends himself Sheila simply replies with a sarcastic, 'That's what you say'; and it is left to Mrs. Birling to end this exchange with a light hearted remark of, 'Now, Sheila, don't tease him'. The audience will probably pick up on this and it creates a sense of tension, this is obviously a subject which Gerald and Sheila feel badly about and the audience becomes interested in what it means, it stands out as the happy situation of the engagement party has been tarnished slightly. In fact we later learn that Gerald was involved with Eva Smith in that summer and let her stay in a friend's house.
Mr. Birling's position in the family is also made quite clear on a couple of occasions. He is the man of the house although unusually his wife is of a higher social class, this means he almost has something to prove and must work a little harder at gaining respect from his peers than other men at that time. Mr Birling is immediately recognises the possible business advantages that the marriage may have, he makes it clear to Gerald that he hoped one day, 'Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together - for lower ...
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Mr. Birling's position in the family is also made quite clear on a couple of occasions. He is the man of the house although unusually his wife is of a higher social class, this means he almost has something to prove and must work a little harder at gaining respect from his peers than other men at that time. Mr Birling is immediately recognises the possible business advantages that the marriage may have, he makes it clear to Gerald that he hoped one day, 'Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together - for lower costs and higher prices'. Mr Birling is also a key finger in Act I for a couple of speeches he makes to the newly engaged and everyone else present. Firstly he talks about the future and what it holds, not only for the family but the world in general, Priestley uses 'dramatic irony' to bring another amount of unease to the situation. Mr. Birling pontificates in a manner that draws everyone in to his way of believing, however the play is set in 1912 but first performed in 1946. Mr. Birlings comments about 'The Titanic...every luxury - and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.' and his comments that 'keep your eye on...progress like that - and not a few German officers talking nonsense'. Mr. Birling goes on to discuss other matters concerning Russia and how it will always be 'behindhand'. Of course, the 1946 audience knows that the titanic did indeed sink and war did brake out and the Russians became a huge economic power. However, Mr. Birling informs the newly engaged couple that in 1940 there son could be holding a party for his engagement in 1940 and everything will be fine, but we all know that World War II was underway. This comment creates unease for the audience and they start to see Mr. Birling in a different light, as a know-it-all who is actually misinformed and not everything he makes out to be, the characters still see him as the head of the family, older and wiser than every one else. This difference in opinions between the cast and the audience is another device used to create tension, as those watching the play know something the characters do not. This comment can also be taken as a metaphor for the rest of the play in that he feels the future will be alright but it isn't long before things start to become very tough and uncomfortable for all involved. It is interesting that at another comment by Mr. Birling, a short time later can be taken on a number of levels. He explains that 'cranks' think that everybody has to look after everybody else in this world, like a big community. He is talking in general about life, unknowingly saying something that goes to the heart of the entire play in that they are all responsible for Eva Smith committing suicide due to there disregard for her, it is during this speech when he is alone with only the men that the door bell rings and the inspector enters - the fact he doesn't feel we should all look out for each other is about to be proved. Not only this, but for a third time Mr. Birling makes a very appropriate comment to Gerald; 'There's a very good chance of a knighthood - so long as we behave ourselves, don't get into a police court or start a scandal - eh?'. After having read the rest of the play you realise that this very nearly happens but Priestley has included this line for another reason. It is also used as another attempt for Mr. Birling to improving his own his own social status and get one over on his peers who are seen as from higher classes than himself. These continuing attempts from Mr. Birling to be seen as having a high status emphasise the importance that social class had in the middle 1990s which Priestley is perhaps including to ridicule the class system and show how pointless his attempts look to the 1940s audience, in the hope it will have an effect on the real lives of some of the people who have watched the play.
An interesting point is also made concerning the roles of the different genders and the social customs that are linked with them. At the time that the family is celebrating the engagement we see some of the actions of certain characters are being controlled by their gender. For example, it is interesting that Sheila is very aware that it is Gerald who will and has picked the wedding ring for her, and seems to not mind in the slightest, 'Oh - Gerald - you've got it (the ring) is it the one you wanted me to have?'. A short while later another action occurs based on the differing roles of the two genders, Mrs. Birling announces, 'Arthur...I think Sheila and I had better go into the drawing-room and leave you men', everyone seems comfortable with this and a while later they do leave and the men are left on stage, the tone of the play then changes. Straight away Birling offers Gerald a cigar and port before speaking about private, important business concerning the knighthood that Mr. Birling might be able to get Gerald and the fact that Gerald's mother thinks he could have done better in terms of the social class of Sheila. After Eric enters it is only a short while before all these small hints towards an amount of tension on stage end as everyone really does become uneasy as the inspector arrives.
When the Inspector initially arrives Mr. Birling is very kind and sociable, invites him to sit down and offers him Port or Whisky. They have a short conversation about the police force and Mr. Birling explains how he knows the Brumley police officers very well and has never met him, they become acquainted and then the inspector explains why he is there. Of course, at this stage none of the characters or audience realise that the reason Mr. Birling has never met the inspector before is that he isn't actually an inspector. Once the inspector has informed the characters of why he is there Eric is shocked, he involuntarily declares, 'My God!' and you expect Mr. Birling's veneer of calm and self-confidence to go and to become concerned for the girl, however after having learnt about the suicide of Eva Smith his first words are, 'Horrid business, but I don't understand why you should come here'. The reason the inspector is there is that Mr. Birling sacked Eva Smith from his manufacturing company, this may be one reason why she committed suicide. Shortly Eric and Gerald also become annoyed with the inspector, Mr. Birling is shown a photograph of Eva Smith to help him remember her, Gerald and Eric lean to look at it but the inspector stop them. It is explained that the way the police work is one line of enquiry at a time, to stop a muddle - Mr. Birling agrees and says it seems sensible. In hindsight this we know that each character is shown a different photograph to trick them into thinking they knew Eva Smith, this make Mr. Birling's comments seem rather ridiculous and the image he has built himself up as a man who has seen and knows everything falls apart. This is used to build up tension, not only between the inspector and the other characters but also between the characters themselves because some of them begin to realise that they know things that the others don't, as well as this tension builds up between the audience and the inspector because the audience have got to know the characters quite well and the inspector is almost an 'intruder' into the lives of the characters and the engagement party which was taking place. Another way in which Priestley builds up tension is in the use of lighting. When the inspector arrives Mr. Birling asks Edna the maid to give them more light, which she promptly does, the stage directions at the start explain what the light should be like. At the start we are told that lighting should be 'pink and intimate' this expresses a feeling of comfort and the family are together, happy and content. However, when the inspector arrives we are told the lighting should change to brighter and harder; this does a couple of things. Firstly, the mood obviously changes; the stage no longer portrays a happy and content family but one that has been invaded by an unknown and unwanted guest. As well as this the brighter light may have been used to show that the inspector is about to shed light on matters that may previously been concealed, the bright light makes the faces of the actors much more clear and this allows the audience and the inspector to see better how they are react to allegations that are being made against them.
As the tension grows stronger Mr. Birling does seem to begin to crack, he describes Eva Smith death as 'the wretched girl's suicide' and when the inspector wants to know information such as why he didn't give Eva Smith the pay rise he begins to question the inspectors authority with comments such as 'I don't like that tone' and making threats that he knows the chief constable and he might inform him of the unusual way that the inspector is conducting his investigation, 'Perhaps I had better warn you he is an old friend of mine...we play golf together sometimes'. This comment also goes deeper than you might first think; it is also another attempt from Mr. Birling to show himself to be of a higher class than the inspector and also try and win the respect of those peers that he has who are of a higher class than himself. Golf was always seen as a sport played by the higher classes and when the inspector says he doesn't play Mr. Birling make the sarcastic comment of 'I didn't suppose you did' to undermine the inspector and prove himself to be of a higher social standing. These comments from Mr. Birling are the first of many that come not only from him but also from other characters about the inspectors' unusual method of investigation. The inspector often takes a moralising approach to things he says and not the normal line of official questioning you would expect. We later learn this is because he is not actually a police officer and is there to try and teach them a lesson.
One by one the inspector works his way round the characters that have already been built up and explains their part in the suicide of Eva Smith. During each confession there are interesting moments of suspense and tension as well as surprise and contrast. Mr. Birling sacked Eva Smith because she asked for a pay rise at his works, this happened eighteen months before Eva's suicide and as you would expect he doesn't understand why he has anything to do with it. There is sharp contrast between Mr. Birling's attitudes toward the inspector when he first arrives to when he begins his investigation, one minute offering Port and Whisky the next accusing him off being incompetent in the way he was conducting the investigation.
Sheila Birling, unlike her father is very emotional about the whole event, in fact throughout the play we see the younger members of the cast feeling more emotion and being more concerned for Eva Smith than there elders. This may be an effort by Priestley to expresses his views that if society as a whole is going to genuinely change then it is the younger members of society that have to be targeted, this may be because they are more impressionable than the older generations. During Sheila's confession her attitude changes greatly, at first she speaks instinctively, emotionally and from the heart, however, when the inspector reacts in a unusual manner in the way he conducts his questioning she soon becomes irritated and threatened. She talks sharply to he inspector; 'What do you mean by saying that? You talk as if we were responsible'. During the confession of Sheila the inspector makes a short speech which once again addresses issues concerning the whole theme of the play; There are a lot of young women living that sort of existence in every city...in this country', although he is talking about Eva Smith it could also be taken as a general comment about society in this country. As Sheila explains that she was involved in Eva Smith's suicide due to her complaints about her while shopping in Milwards, where Smith worked, she is very open and speaks with real regret. We understand this regret when she says, 'It's the only time I've ever done anything like that, and I'll never, never do it again to anybody.'
After Sheila's involvement has been explained Priestley uses the inspector's want to see Mr. Birling as an excuse for him to leave the stage so that Gerald's involvement can be explained. This is the first time since the inspector joined the play that he leaves the stage, the characters speak less formally and it is as though they are trying to get a quick word to the other characters before he returns, this builds up suspense as we are waiting for the inspector to return and when he does he creates the tense end to the first act. Eric thinks he has nothing to do with the investigation until the inspector announces that after being sacked from Millwards Eva Smith changed her name to Daisy Renton. Immediately Gerald's guilt becomes obviously, in an outburst if shock Gerald exclaims 'What?' Gerald then gets a drink and at this stage the inspector leaves and it leaves Sheila free to question Gerald on his involvement in private. Unusually Gerald is very open about his involvement with Eva Smith. He openly explains that he met her the year before and gave her the keys to a house that a friend had lent him. He explains that when he had to go away the relationship they had, had to be broken off, once again, as a younger character he openly admits that he could be responsible for her death. He explains, She didn't blame me at all (about the break up) I wish to God she had now. Perhaps I'd feel better about it.' Later in the Act Mrs. Birling makes another comment that can be taken on many levels, 'I must say, we are learning something tonight'. This comment is directed at Gerald but it can also be taken as a general comment about the whole family and life in general. The inspector is taking away there veneer of respectability and is making a family from the upper-classes look foolish and responsible for an innocent young women's death. The comment can also taken to mean that the family are learning to look out for other members of society whatever their class, it is another attempt that Priestley is making to criticise the class structure of mid-20th century life.
Mrs. Birling's confession takes place at the end of Act II. Mrs. Birling works at the Brumley Women's Charity Organisation. Eva Smith became pregnant and went to the organisation for help, however she called herself Mrs. Birling and so the actual Mrs. Birling became prejudice against her and the committee didn't help her. During her confession it comes clear that Mrs. Birling is one of the strongest characters, she sticks up for what she believes in and even when she is made to feel responsible for Eva Smith's death she continues to feel it was wrong of her to have used their name. However, this can also give the audience the impression she is arrogant as she is in a higher social class than other characters and perhaps feels she has more of a right to not be interrogated in such a way by a police officer. A very interesting point of the play then arises; the inspector's ingenuity becomes clear as he begins leading Mrs. Birling into saying things. After he has got her to admit she told Eva Smith to 'Go and look for the farther of the child. It's his responsibility.' Mrs. Birling does not realise that Eric is the father and that she is about to condemn her own son, after this the inspector makes remarks like 'so he's the chief culprit anyhow. (about the father)' to which Mrs. Birling is lead to say such things as; 'he ought to be dealt with very severely' and 'make sure he is compelled to confess in public'. Sheila already knows and tries to get her to be quiet and it isn't until the end of the Act that she realises and a huge amount of tension is built up as the audience start to realise and as Mrs. Birling finally realises Eric enters the room and the Act ends.
It is then left for the inspector to interrogate the biggest revelation of all, that Eric is the father of Eva Smith's child. As you would expect the family is distressed but the inspectors questioning is briefer than the others as there is little to explain. Eric knows he has done wrong and regrets it, he describes it as 'the hellish thing' and proclaims 'how stupid it all is'. The inspector soon leaves because he has achieved his main goal; he has made each member of the family think about their actions and how they contributed to Eva Smith's suicide. Soon, the family are to realise that, that was all he was there for and he isn't actually an inspector.
A short while before the inspector leaves, the most influential speech of the play is made by him. He sums up the entire theme of the play and expresses the importance that not only should al those involved think about what has happened and change their ways accordingly but also that all members society as a whole should become more caring towards one another regardless of race, gender and most importantly social class. This point is raised by his proclamation that, 'One Eva Smith has gone - but there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths...still left with us, with their lives...intertwined with ours' he explains society as a whole when he says 'We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other', this is yet another way that Priestley is criticising the social structure of the time. It is at this stage that the audience may begin to have suspicions about the inspector, these words are very emotive and not what you would expect from an official such as a police inspector. When analysing this part of the play we must remember that the country is just recovering from the Second World War and lines such as 'if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish', this comment may well have gone right to the hearts of many people who saw the play and made them genuinely think about the attitudes they have concerning the issues raised by the play.
Shortly after the inspector's departure the recriminations of what happened that night begin, Mr. Birling is very anxious about his knighthood whereas the younger members of the cast such as Eric and Sheila feel emotionally drained and ashamed of what they had done and their part in the whole saga. Throughout the play Sheila has been emerging as the most sensitive and the one who is taking on the morals that the inspector has been expressing the most. It is then a significant point that is she that starts to suspect the inspectors identity. After the family have had a chance to calm down after his departure it is Sheila who first says, 'there was something curious about him. He never seemed like an ordinary police inspector'. For the rest of this Act which is the final one, tension is constantly building - unlike at other times when tension builds up to a sudden shocking and poignant moment when the audience learn something this time the tension is much more subtle. The audience are slowly fed pieces of information, as the act goes on the picture of exactly what they have been watching happen slowly becomes clearer before it is clear for every one to see that it was a 'stitch up'. Each character contributes their own ideas and thoughts about what has happened, Sheila suggests, 'We hardly ever told him anything he didn't know' Mr Birling thinks, 'he behaved in a very peculiar manner' Mrs. Birling puts forward her point that 'He never talked like one (an inspector)'. Slowly all the clues are pieced together, they all saw different photos of Eva Smith/Daisy Renton, they had all been tricked into their own admissions of guilt. It is mainly Gerald and Mr. Birling who deconstruct the inspector and this could be seen by the audience as an attempt to restore their pride, to keep the possible knighthoods and to disassociate themselves with Eva Smith's murder. The identity of the inspector eventually becomes clear to all, the audience have the pleasure of the moment they realise without it having to be spelled out to them and the strong emotion of surprise and bewilderment as they didn't suspect him at all when, in hindsight it seems quite obvious. A large amount of contrast is conveyed between the reactions of different characters in these closing moments of the play. The younger characters, Sheila and Eric especially seem genuinely disappointed with themselves, they realise that whether the inspector was real or not it does not change the fact that they led someone to suicide. The older members of cast, Mr. and Mrs. Birling especially are simply glad that it is all over and they can 'get back on with our lives'. Mr. Birling especially is glad that his image as a high-class businessman with a possible knighthood on the way hasn't been tarred. The early 1900s had been a time for great change in Britain and the play reflects many topical issues such as suffrage. The suffragettes fought for the rights of women and specifically their right to vote, this kind of gender and social prejudice is the main theme that Priestley is trying to get across in An Inspector Calls.
Once the identity of the inspector is out we can analyse him further, his name; Inspector Goole is quite interesting. Priestley perhaps chose this name as a pun, although we learn that he isn't actually an inspector we never find out who he actually is and it is as though he doesn't actually exist and was just there as a personification of their consciences. He exists merely as the middleman to question them about their actions and let the rest of the family see what they have done, he is also there to make them think about what they have done and more importantly how they will act in the future. In the closing lines of the play the audience feel the play is over and they have been put through tension and surprise while watching the story of the Birling's unfold, however, there is to be one last twist in the tale that will do the thing that all authors and playwrights want, leave the audience wanting more. The phone rings at the end and an inspector explains there has been a suicide and he is over to ask some question, the curtain then falls. The audience are left wondering what is to happen, will the family be arrested? How will this inspector on his way differ from Goole? Is Eva Smith dead or is it someone else? Will the Birling's explain to the new inspector that someone has already been? None of these questions are answered and so the audience leave feeling part of the story and left pondering what happens, thinking about the play long after the curtain falls.
In conclusion An Inspector Calls is much more than a murder mystery. Priestley leaves us all questioning our own position in life and how we could act differently in future. It raises moral questions such as those concerning gender and class, Priestley uses many techniques to criticise the upper classes and specifically aims the play at getting them to change there attitudes. An Inspector Calls follows few of the normal conditions for a murder mystery, firstly there is no murder, there is no 'whodunit?' question asked and there is no big reveal. This takes little away from the success of a play that involves the audience in thinking about how it relates to their lives, in a way you never expect it too when you enter the auditorium.
