The inspector always has control of the situation, not Arthur, P28 ‘(massively taking control)’ The inspector constantly asks questions that he knows the answers too. For instance, when he asks Sybil about Eva P44 ‘Why did she want help?’ And asks Sybil again, but about Eric P31 ‘Isn’t he used to drinking?’ The reason for him doing this could be to find out what their answer is like in resemblance to his. Or it could be to shock the other characters and get their reactions.
Priestley uses the inspector as his mouthpiece to get his idea of a collectivist society across to the audience, P56 ‘We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.’ Priestley uses opposing views from members of the Birling family to support and reinforce the idea of a fairer collectivist society, using the interrogation of the inspector as the medium to get the family to react to the idea.
Arthur Birling
There is a lot of dramatic irony (where the audience know something the characters don’t) integrated into a lot of his dialogue, P6 ‘There’s a lot of wild talk about possible labour trouble in the near future. Don’t worry’, as well as P6 ‘ People say that war is inevitable and to that I say- fiddlesticks!’ The audience in 1945 knew that war was on its way for the people in 1912 as World War one in 1914. He also declares, P7 ‘The Titanic’, ‘unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.’ The people in 1945will have known that the Titanic sank on her maiden voyage to New York. Arthur is very opinionated and often cuts people off mid sentence although a lot of it is dramatic irony. What he says sounds pleasing in 1912, but we know now (as the audience) that it’s a lot of nonsense.
Mr. Birling is a self-made man who bought his way into the upper class by using the John and Eva Smiths (the ordinary people) of the time to build his company upon. He’s obsessed on how he and his family appear to the remainder of society P8 ‘As long as we behave ourselves, don’t get into the police court or start a scandal.’ He’s part of the older generation, and admits to it when he calls Sheila and Eric P72 ‘The famous younger generation.’ He’s set in his ways, so doesn’t react to the collectivist idea. The aim of the character, Arthur Birling is to act as the opposition to Priestley’s aims. This opposing force helps bring out Priestley’s aim by showing the downfalls of an individualistic society, for example Eva Smiths situation.
Mr. Birling’s un-ethical and capitalist view on the way to run his business shows the terrible consequences the individualistic society of 1912 ran into, which helps support Priestley’s aim of a collectivist society, as shown here, P4 ‘When Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together – for lower costs and higher prices.’ He never stops plugging in things about his unethical company, P4 ‘Your engagement to Sheila means a tremendous lot to me.’ Here he is talking to Gerald, but not talking about bringing his family together, but about his business and Gerald Crofts father’s business and how the engagement would bring them together ‘For lower costs and higher prices.’ The Eva and John Smiths of 1912 had to pay the price for these unethical businesses, owned by the upper class men, because there was no welfare state or little legislation to save workers from exploitation.
He is somewhat dismissive, and dismisses two of the greatest English figures of the 20th century, P7 ‘We can’t let these Bernard Shaws and H. G. Wellses do all the talking’, with people like Arthur Birling, and their companies in control of Britain’s economical growth back then, it’s not surprising that this backs up the idea of a collectivist society. By the end of the play, when the family have found out the inspector was a hoax, he dismisses the whole situation that had just happened and seems to find it a evil joke, P70 ‘Come on, Sheila don’t look like that. All over now.’ And P71 ‘You’ll have a good laugh over it yet.’
Sybil
Just like Mr. Birling she is also part of the older generation in the play, and just like Arthur is also hung up on social status. In 1912 there was an obvious line between the classes, which Sybil realises P30 ‘I don’t suppose for a moment that we can understand why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class.’
She only believed things that she wanted too, like when everybody else knew about Eric’s major drinking habits, she is shocked P32 ‘No, of course not. He is only a boy.’ And P50 ‘Besides, you’re not the type – you don’t get drunk.’ The inspector picks up her tendency to only believe what she wants P41‘You mean you don’t choose to do, Mrs. Birling.’ P43 ‘Was it owing to your influence, as the most prominent member of the committee, that help was refused the girl?’ This is from the inspector when he’s asking Sybil about her incident with Eva. In the play Sybil is a ‘Prominent’ member of the Brumley Women’s Charity Organization. Although there was a board of women to put the case of Eva Smith to Sybil used her upper class influence to make sure Eva didn’t get any help. This is a good example of how the individualistic society helps to prove the main aim for a fairer more equal society.
Sybil firstly denies everything P32 ‘Though naturally I don’t know anything about this girl.’ This extract sounds like she’s saying she ‘naturally’ doesn’t know the girl because of the rigid social classes, and that they didn’t mix. The world wars, after 1912 helped break-down the social class barriers because of evacuations and the rationing of clothing and food.
Mr and Mrs Birling are used as the same older generation in the play. Being used as an opposition to Priestley’s main aim. An un-equal, un-fair individualistic society against an equal, fairer collectivist society, where the privileged can’t use their influence to punish poorer.
Gerald
Gerald is part of the Croft family, which is why Mr. Birling likes him so much (hoping to join forces with Gerald’s fathers company and climb higher up the social ladder.) He seems to be the same capitalist, un-ethical type of person as Mr. Birling and has a mannerism to agree with Birling, P4 ‘Hear, Hear!’ at this point he is agreeing with Arthur about ‘lower costs, and higher prices.’ P6 ‘I believe you’re right, sir.’ Here he’s agreeing with Arthur about ‘steadily increasing prosperity,’ this is also dramatic irony. P12 ‘Any particular reason why I shouldn’t see this girls photograph, Inspector?’ In this passage, and P15 ‘Not if it was just after the holidays. They’d all be broke- if I know them.’ He seems to be very mature, and experienced (‘if I know them’) for his age, but it could be an act to impress Mr. Birling.
Even though he was reluctant at first to talk about his affair with Eva Smith to the inspector P26 ‘All right, I knew her, lets leave it at that.’ I felt he was the most truthful to him, but still treads lightly with the inspector. The inspector picks up on his truthfulness when talking to Sybil P43 ‘Mr. Croft told us – quite truthfully, I believe.’ He became quite stern with Sheila at one point P26 ‘Now listen, darlin.’ This could be the way he is at work, using his upper class influence to threaten the helpless workers, you have to remember there was no welfare state in 1912. This backs up Priestley’s aim for a fairer collective society. He seems to be torn between the older and younger generation. Although he is an un-ethical capitalist he has sympathy for Eva, unlike Sybil or Arthur. P37 ‘I was sorry for her, and didn’t like the idea of her going back to the Palace bar.’
Eric
Eric’s purpose in the play is to be part of the younger generation, backing up Priestley’s idea of a collectivist society by supporting the inspector. He seemed to be very nervous, and an on edge character and sides with the inspector’s idea of a collectivist society not his father’s capitalist idea. This may be why Arthur seems to disown Eric and Sheila, but likes Gerald more P4 ‘You’re just the kind of son-in-law I always wanted.’ Eric doesn’t have any family loyalty and doesn’t stick up for his father when the inspector is interrogating him P16 ‘I’d have let her stay.’ P15 ‘It isn’t if you can’t go and work somewhere else.’ In this Eric is talking about how Arthur fired Eva and that she’d have nowhere else to work.
Eric finds his father not a very good father figure, P54 ‘You’re not the kind of father a chap could go to.’ This could be because of their conflicting views of society. P9 ‘A man has to make his own way – has to look after himself.’
Sheila
Sheila is a dramatic, important character in the play and like the inspector keeps the action of the play going, like when she starts resembling the inspector to Gerald P25 ‘Oh, don’t be stupid. We haven’t much time.’ The other reason for her being there, like Eric, they back up the inspector and by doing so shows they have no family loyalties. P19 ‘I think it was a mean thing to do.’ P45 ‘Mother, I think it was cruel and vile.’ In these segments Sheila talks to her father and mother, showing no respect for them by honestly telling them what she thinks about them. As soon as she figured out that she had got the innocent Eva fired from Milwards she starts apologising to the inspector, P23 ‘I’ll never, never do it again to anybody.’
Sheila helps get Priestley’s point over to the audience better than Eric because of her dramatic acting, where as Eric comes across as a nervous character. They are both part of the younger generation so are more open to new ideas, like the collectivist idea. On the whole they believe in this idea, which is why they don’t get on with their parents.
Conclusion
Priestley’s main aim then, is for a fairer, more equal collectivist society. I think he gets his aim across subtly to the audience but relatively well, even though he only gets through to two characters in the play (Eric and Sheila.) It was good the way he showed the downfalls of an individualistic society using the views and actions of the older generation in the play (Arthur and Sybil) to prove and backup his aim. Furthermore he uses the more open to new ideas, younger generation to believe in the collectivist points and making them turn on their elders in a contradictory, tense play of opposing opinions. The best thing he does though is leaves the audience to come to their own conclusions about how the family would react to their situation at the ending of the play. Would the family believe in a collectivist or individualistic society or would they agree to disagree? Who would come out the strongest to prove their ideas on society, the elders or the younger generation?