‘We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.’What is Priestley’s main aim in An Inspector Calls? How successfully does he achieve this aim?

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English Essay

‘We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.’

What is Priestley’s main aim in An Inspector Calls? How successfully does he achieve this aim?

                                                                                        

The play An Inspector Calls was set in 1912 and produced in 1945 and based on actions of individuals in an upper class family. An Inspector Calls starts off as a usual ‘who-dunnit play’, where the audience has to try and find out who killed an individual - Eva Smith. Although as the play progresses it shows the audience that the whole Birling family and Gerald Croft are to blame for the suspicious death. The ending of the play leaves the audience to come to their own conclusion about how the family, and the society of 1912 are going to alter.

I think Priestley’s main aim is: A call for a fairer, collectivist society where the privileged support the poor, where everyone has the same rights, and for the privileged not to be able to use their influence to punish others.

To start with Arthur Birling sacks her from her job at his works for wanting her wage raised, then she’s taken on at Milwards, a clothes shop. Then Shelia, Arthur’s daughter complains about her, and she is sacked. After this Gerald, Sheila’s fiancée starts having an affair with Eva. Gerald then stopped having the affair with Eva and Eric, Arthur’s son has an affair with her and gets her pregnant. Eva goes to the Brumley Women’s Charity Organization, but is refused help because of Sybil Birling. Eva then commits suicide.

Inspector

The inspector projects P11 ‘(An impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness.)’ He is very dismissive, above all to Mr. Birling and Sybil (the older generation.) They don’t like this, probably because they see the inspector as of a lower class to them and are talking impolitely to them. P11 ‘No, Mr. Birling.’ P37 ‘Why should you do any protesting? It was you who turned the girl out in the first place.’ And P41 ‘Apologize for what – doing my duty?’ He doesn’t act like a police inspector, being aggressive and rude.  P46 ‘Don’t yammer and stammer at me again, man. I’m losing all patience with you people.’ His aggressiveness may be from the way the other characters rudely react to him since he said this at the beginning; P22 ‘If you’re easy with me, I’m easy with you.’ The characters don’t recognize his rudeness until he has left because of the tense situation they were in. P58 ‘Was he really a police inspector?’ Plus P59 ‘His manner was quite extraordinary; so rude and assertive.’

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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 ...

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